City of Duluth members in Local 66 soundly rejected a city contract proposal Feb. 23 and authorized their negotiating team to call a strike. Members previously beat back Mayor Don Ness’ attempt to force outsourcing and other union-busting language into the contract. Now, they intend to return to the bargaining table, seeking a multi-year deal that is fair and equal to what other city employees get. In the one-year offer that members rejected, the city refused to negotiate any proposals that would bring the AFSCME unit to parity with other city bargaining units.