Amidst an escalating labor dispute, the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board (MPRB) is throwing a legal counterpunch against LIUNA Local 363. The Board has lodged an Unfair Labor Practice Charge, arguing that the union's recent picketing actions overstep legal boundaries, specifically violating Minnesota's law against "picketing which unreasonably interferes with the ingress and egress to facilities of the public employer." The MPRB's move, detailed in a press release, points to instances at Minnehaha Regional Park and Lake Harriet's Bread and Pickle restaurant, where they claim union picketers have blocked essential deliveries and harassed drivers.
On July 17, the tensions at Minnehaha Park and Lake Harriet rose, as the union's picketers were seen not only obstructing the delivery paths but successfully persuading some drivers to leave without delivering goods. These types of actions have ratcheted up the stakes, with the MPRB asserting that one delivery had to be completed with a police escort, a full block away from the intended destination to skirt the picketers. The same tactics reportedly reappeared at the Southside Operations Center, where union members stood in confrontation with employee vehicles, attempting to prevent both entry and exit, early on July 18.
The situation escalated when a park board employee allegedly struck a union representative with a vehicle. Although reports confirm that no injuries occurred, this incident prompted the involvement of Minneapolis Park Police, who arrived to disperse the picketers and reopen the obstructed lot, as per MPRB. The incident has crystallized the MPRB's argument that the picketing is not merely a demonstration but a material interference with their operations.
