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Minneapolis teachers have filed an intent to strike as bargaining continues with Minneapolis Public Schools. Minneapolis educators file intent to strike What we know: The Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE) has filed its intent to strike. This comes as MFE has been bargaining with Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) since Thursday morning, and continues to do so as of Friday afternoon. MFE says that the filing does not mean a strike will happen, and that they are "committed to reaching a fair agreement" with MPS. Minnesota law requires people to give at least 10 days' notice before they can strike. The earliest a strike could happen is Nov. 11. The union has been negotiating three different contracts for education support professionals, teachers and adult educators. MPS says that mediation will continue until a resolution is reached, even if a strike happens. If a strike were to happen, all MPS classes would be canceled, including online classes. The backstory: Negotiations began in April, and entered mediation in August. The district said it faces a $75 million budget shortfall this school year, in part because of the end of pandemic-era federal funding and declining enrollment. The union said the district could afford to meet its demands, but needs to prioritize how it spends its money. For example, the union said salaries for district leaders have shot up more than 30% and noted that the district spends too much money on outside contracts. What they're saying: MPS provided the following statement regarding the filing: "Minneapolis Public Schools (MPS) received the Minneapolis Federation of Educators (MFE) notice of an intent to strike. This means a strike could begin as early as Tuesday, Nov. 11, if contract agreements cannot be reached within the 10-day cooling off period. "MPS is committed to reaching an agreement with MFE that is student-centered, fair, competitive and promotes financial stability for the district." "We know there is still plenty of time to negotiate a strong contract that recognizes the district’s financial situation while making investments that will give students the schools they need to thrive and bring families back to MPS," said Marcia Howard, president of MFE’s teacher chapter. Teacher strike history in Minneapolis Strike history: The most recent strike happened in 2022 and lasted for 18 days, with students missing 14 days of class. (Both sides narrowly averted a strike in 2024.) Prior to 2022, the last strike happened in 1970. At the time, teachers also demanded better pay and smaller class sizes.
