Minneapolis Park Board files unfair labor practice against striking union members
Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board workers represented by LiUNA Local 363 march across the Third Avenue Bridge on Thursday, July 4, 2024, the first day of their strike. (KSTP)
The Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board has filed an unfair labor practice charge against LIUNA Local 363, the union representing striking park workers.
The board and union members have been trying to reach a deal on a new contract for weeks, resulting in the current strike, which began on July 4. That strike was supposed to last one week, but the union announced last week it would continue indefinitely.
Park Board officials now say some of the union members’ picketing activity violated state law, claiming employees blocked access to public facilities and interfered with food deliveries to Sea Salt at Minnehaha Regional Park and Bread and Pickle at Lake Harriet.
The unfair labor practice filing also claims picketers blocked off the parking lot at the Southside Operations Center for about an hour and a half on Thursday morning.
A spokesperson for LIUNA Local 363 says the union disputes the MPRB’s claims, calling them “meritless.”