CITY OF DULUTH AFSCME WORKERS VOTE TO AUTHORIZE STRIKE: DEMAND FAIR WAGES AND DIGNITY
Duluth, MN - AFSCME Local 66 workers with the City of Duluth are taking a stand for a fair and equitable labor contract. On November 26th the City walked away from contract mediation leaving a settlement offer that is unacceptable to the workers who provide Duluth’s core city services. AFSCME Local 66, City of Duluth union members voted overwhelmingly on December 10th to reject the City’s settlement offer and authorize a strike.
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“We need a labor contract that is fair and equitable with dignity and respect for all workers – the City’s offer is insulting, inadequate, and unacceptable” said Wendy Wohlwend, President of AFSCME Local 66. “Our members are working short staffed and being called on to work longer and harder every day. The City is unable to fill critical vacancies due to low wages. Two years ago, police received an 8% market adjustment to their wages without any concessions. Fire received the same one year ago. And recently some supervisors received a substantial market adjustment. Yet, for our workers, the City proposed only 1% in the first year and just 6% over three years while also demanding major concessions.”
One week after last year’s election, Mayor-elect Roger Reinert promised our workers that he would fight to implement competitive wages based on market analysis. Despite this promise and data showing an 8-12% market adjustment is needed now, the City has failed to deliver. Essential workers across all departments, including water plant operators and snowplow drivers, continue to face crushing workloads due to unfilled vacancies and non-competitive wages. This is unsustainable. We need the full market adjustment, and we need it now.
Privatization of public services has further strained the budget, costing more than paying fair wages for our union members. Meanwhile, the City’s proposed changes to work schedules and mandatory overtime strip workers of their dignity, demanding availability at all hours without adequate notice. Rather than pay competitive wages the City simply wants to work our members longer and harder – leading to further burnout and retention issues.
If an agreement is not reached, workers could go on strike as early as mid-January following a ten-day cooling off period.
“Our union members are prepared to do whatever it takes to secure dignity and fairness for the workers who provide core city services,” said AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen. “This fight is about more than competitive wages – it’s about respect for the workers who provide core city services day in and day out. It’s about the dignity that comes with a union job and a pro-union community that has each other’s back every single day. Duluth workers have the full support and solidarity of our 43,000 members and our labor and community allies across Duluth, the region, and our state.”
Our union is calling on Mayor Reinert to keep his word to our workers and for the City to return to negotiations and reach a fair and equitable contract agreement. If not, we are prepared to strike.
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