Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is set to rally with Twin Cities essential workers ahead of a critical strike vote this Saturday. Ellison will address members of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26, who represent around 8,000 workers in the janitorial and security sectors, according to CBS News Minnesota.
The labor union has been locked in a tug-of-war over contract negotiations for months, advocating for improved wages and working conditions. The workers, many of them people of color and immigrants, are fighting for what they dub a fair shake in terms of earnings, retirement security, and on-the-job respect. The SEIU stresses that they have been bargaining to no avail, prompting the vote on whether to authorize a strike if employers continue refusing to bargain in good faith, as noted by a SEIU MN State Council.
The gathering, which also doubles as a rally for support, is set to take place at Minneapolis' Edison High School. The stakes of the vote could not be higher, potentially giving the bargaining team the power to call an Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike, should the stalemate persist, as reported by CBS News Minnesota.
