Duluth City Workers Vote to Strike

On December 10, city workers in Duluth voted to authorize a strike.  This vote comes after months of frustrating negotiations with the City.  Despite the fact that the City found money recently to give significant raises to the police, and City Councilors, it has been dragging its feet in offering a fair wage to city workers represented by AFSCME Local 66.  Also at issue is the overwhelming workloads that many workers are having to endure, creating serious risk of burnout.

This vote authorizes the workers’ Negotiating Committee to call a strike at a time of their choosing.  Mid-January is suspected to be the most likely time it would start, unless the City comes back to the table with a decent offer.

Local 66 President Wendy Wohlwend said, "On November 26th, the city walked away from mediation discussions. Leaving our union that represents 500 city workers with an offer that is inadequate and insulting to workers who provide the core services the city depends on. We are your snow plow drivers, utility operators, library staff, water plant operators, and many more,”

She went on to add, “We are here because our backs have been against the wall for too long… We are working short-staffed. We are overburdened. Vacancies remain unfilled because the City refuses to pay competitive wages and treat us with dignity and respect. Instead of fixing the problem, they’re doubling down.”

Negotiations Chair Shawn Eastman said, “We’re here today because we’ve had enough. Enough of being overworked, underpaid and undervalued. Enough of broken promises. Enough of watching Duluth's essential workers be treated as anything less than essential. We are the backbone of this city. We are the ones who make Duluth happen.”

We urge our readers to support the city workers in their struggle.  We will post updates as they develop.  We also urge you to follow the union’s website and social media page directly.