Fight Back! News

News and Views from the People's Struggle

Strikes

By staff

Scabby the rat in front of U of MN dining hall.

Minneapolis, MN – Scabby the rat has become a familiar figure on the University of Minnesota Minneapolis campus as the contract fight between Teamsters Local 320 and the administration intensifies. Teamsters voted by a 93% margin to strike if the university does not agree to their demands to end poverty wages. The university brought in a company called “Chefs On the Fly” to scab on the potential strike and has put them to work in dining facilities. They are being housed in a hotel near campus, the Hilton Garden Inn.

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By Jacob Muldoon

Tallahassee, FL – On September 5, Starbucks Workers United (SBWU) and Serenity’s Bartenders United called strikes. SBWU demanded delayed back pay and Serenity’s Bartenders United wanted the reinstatement of a fired manager.

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By staff

_Columbus teachers reach comprehensive conceptual agreement _

Striking Columbus, OH educators.

Bargaining team given ‘final offer,’ board walks out

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By staff

Brian Mcintosh speaking to fellow strikers and supporters

Minneapolis, MN – At 6 a.m. Tuesday, May 24, mental health workers at three Minneapolis area hospitals walked off the job and went on a one-day strike. All three groups of workers organized and formed unions with SEIU Healthcare Minnesota and Iowa (SEIU HCMN&IA) since September of 2021. Now they are fighting for their first contracts. They decided to do a joint one-day strike to show management that they are serious and united and will fight to win real improvements in their first union contract.

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By staff

Workers in Twin Cities hospitals are preparing to strike

Minneapolis, MN – On Tuesday May 24, over 500 mental health workers will walk off the jobs at three hospitals in the Minneapolis metro area. The striking groups include mental health coordinators and psych techs, along with other job classes that perform mental health work.

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By staff

Striking Minneapolis educators

Minneapolis, MN – Early on Friday, March 25, the striking Minneapolis teachers and education support professionals reached tentative agreements that will be voted on by union members. They have been on strike since Tuesday, March 8.

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By staff

U of MN students stand with striking educators.

Minneapolis, MN – Around 40 people gathered in Dinkytown, off the intersection of 15th Avenue and 4th Street to hold a speak-out in support of striking Minneapolis educators on Saturday, March 19. The action kicked off with a round of chants, as onlookers passed by, some even joining the protest, and cars honked their horns in support, and speakers made their way to the mic.

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By staff

San Francisco, CA – Members of United Steelworkers (USW) Local 5 voted down Chevron’s most recent proposal on a contract covering more than 500 workers at its Richmond, California, oil refinery.

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By staff

Minnesota Workers United solidarity action with striking educators.

Minneapolis, MN – At least 14 unions from Minnesota held a rally in support of the striking Minneapolis educators, March 20. The rally was organized by the Minnesota Workers United (MWU) Strike Support Committee, which is the sanctioned labor and community strike support committee of the Minneapolis educators’ strike.

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By Meredith Aby

Rally in support of striking Minneapolis educators

Minneapolis, MN – On March 17 thousands of striking educators with MFT 59 and community members rallied on both sides of Lake Street, stretched out for about a mile, in Minneapolis in a mega picket outside Adult Education South and Transition Plus at the MPS Center for Adult Learning. After two hours of enthusiastic picketing and dancing, educators from other metro cities got on the MFT sound truck to send messages of solidarity to strikers.

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By staff

MEG workers stand strong on the picket line.

Minneapolis, MN – At 6:30 a.m., March 14, around 100 workers at Minnesota Epilepsy Group (MEG) walked off the job and began a five-day Unfair Labor Practice strike. The striking workers are EEG technologists and EEG associates – union members represented by SEIU Healthcare Minnesota. When on the job, the MEG workers perform Electroencephalogram (EEG) tests to detect abnormalities in people’s brain waves and electrical activity in the brain.

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By Brad Sigal

![March 12 car caravan supports Minneapolis educators’ strike.](https://i.snap.as/eqQrnCZK.jpg “March 12 car caravan supports Minneapolis educators’ strike. March 12 car caravan supports Minneapolis educators’ strike.

(Photo by Brad Sigal)”)

Minneapolis, MN – On March 12 a car caravan brought honks of solidarity to Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) negotiating committee members while they were in talks with the school district administration at the Davis Center after a week of being on strike.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – Fed up with crushing caseloads and substandard pay, public defense lawyers and support staff workers employed by the Minnesota Board of Public Defense voted overwhelmingly March 10 to reject a final offer and authorize a strike. The workers are all represented by Teamsters Local 320.

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By staff

Striking educators march in downtown Minneapolis.

Minneapolis, MN – The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers (MFT) strike entered its fourth day on Thursday March 11 as Minneapolis Public Schools remained closed. Picket lines continued to have large crowds with many schools reporting 100% turnout to their picket lines every day of the strike, and the others reporting nearly all educators on their lines.

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By staff

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St. Paul, MN – Thousands of striking Minneapolis teachers, education support professionals, along with supporters rallied at the Capitol Building in Saint Paul, March 9. Educators are firm in demanding a decent contract, and state they are ready to stay on strike until their demands are met. There has been widespread support from other trade unions and the community.

#StPaulMN #PeoplesStruggles #Strikes #TeachersUnions #MinneapolisTeachersUnion

By staff

Contract settlement reached in Saint Paul

Massive rally of striking educators and supporters.

Minneapolis, MN – Teachers and education support professionals in Minneapolis began striking at 7:30 a.m., March 8, with pickets held at public schools all over the city.

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By staff

MN Workers United holds a press conference in support of teachers strike

Minneapolis, MN – On Saturday March 5 rank-and-file union members along with parents, teachers and students held a press conference in support of the teachers, education support professionals (ESPs) and education assistants who will begin a strike Tuesday in Minneapolis and Saint Paul public schools.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – Votes were counted until nearly midnight on February 17 as teachers, education assistants and education support professionals in Minneapolis and Saint Paul Minnesota voted by overwhelming majorities to authorize strikes in both school districts. Both Minneapolis Teachers Federation (MFT) and Saint Paul Federation of Educators (SPFE) announced the strike authorizations around 11:30 p.m.

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By staff

Teachers march for decent contract.

Minneapolis, MN – On February 12, thousands of teachers, education assistants (EAs) and education support professionals (ESPs), joined by parents and community members, marched in subzero weather to press the school districts meet their demands at the bargaining table. If the demands are not met, an open-ended strike across both of Minnesota’s largest school districts is expected.

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By staff

Minneapolis, MN – Public defense workers in Minnesota are ready to strike. The negotiating committees of both the lawyer bargaining unit and the support staff bargaining unit voted unanimously to reject a “last best final offer” from management. That unanimous vote carries with it a recommendation to strike if better terms are not reached. The membership of Teamsters Local 320 will begin voting on the offer next week, with ballots counted March 7.

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