Minneapolis park workers strike continues, raising concerns about storm cleanup
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Leaders with the Minneapolis park workers union and park board staff returned to the negotiating table Monday, as the first strike in the park’s history continued into its twelfth day.
It’s the first time both sides have met with a mediator in more than two weeks, and since a number of workers walked off on the Fourth of July.
Ahead of negotiations, the union’s business manager A.J. Lange said he’s optimistic they will reach an agreement today. There are no additional dates set at the moment, he said.
“I want to be clear about the fact that this is just the first step,” Lange said. “We’re hopeful, but our strike is still in full force, full steam ahead.”
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A spokesperson for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board said more than 53 percent of the union’s workers were still working as of July 14.
LIUNA Local 363 leaders say 85 percent of the forestry division is on strike, raising concerns about the city’s usual response to clearing fallen branches and trees after storms like the ones that swept across the state over the weekend. The board says 71 percent of arborists are out, per a hand count.
MPRB is responsible for all city-owned trees, which includes 200,000 “boulevard trees” — the trees planted between sidewalks and curbs.
Arborist Kerrick Sarbacker says the usual storm response is “all hands on deck,” until “everything is at least pushed to the side of the road.”
Kerrick said part of her job involves clearing trees and branches from streets so emergency vehicles can get through, pinpointing damaged tree limbs and cautioning off hazardous areas until she and other staff can finish the job.
“So if there’s anything blocking a sidewalk, if there’s anything blocking a street, that is all our responsibility regardless of where it comes from,” she said. “That’s our responsibility to clean that up and make it safe for people to be able to get through.”
A statement from the board says it’s standard protocol for the MPRB to partner with the City of Minneapolis Public Works to assess downed tree during after-hour emergencies. MPRB forestry crews are working with Xcel Energy and public works to address trees that have fallen on homes and streets.
”This weekend’s storm was very similar to other storms in the past two years that also happened over a weekend and took more than a week to clean up, even with a full crew,” according to the statement. “The overall cleanup for this storm may be slower due to the strike, but the initial situational awareness, opening of streets and cleanup is underway. The work will get done.”
As of Monday morning, 49 of 133 tree-related calls since Sunday have been addressed, the statement says.