500 Duluth city workers reach union contract, averting strike

DULUTH – City workers and administration here reached a tentative agreement late Monday night, averting a potential strike after months of negotiations.

The union representing the city of Duluth’s largest body of employees authorized a strike in early December, a move last made by the unit 17 years ago.

“This tentative agreement is a step in the right direction for the workers who keep Duluth running,” AFSCME Local 66 President Wendy Wohlwend said in a statement.

But “it should not have taken months of incredibly difficult negotiations and mediation with the city — or the need for our union members to overwhelmingly reject the city’s last offer and authorize a strike — to secure a fair contract from city leadership that has proclaimed itself to be pro-union,” she said.

A statement from the city says the agreement reflects the city’s focus on “core city services, market adjustments that reflect realities of the post-pandemic labor market, and also better positions the city for hiring and retaining the very best skills and talent.”

Terms of the agreement weren’t yet available Tuesday morning, but union officials said it includes “meaningful” market adjustments, improvements to scheduling and workload expectations and commitments to address staffing shortages.

Nearly 500 workers are part of the union, including snowplow drivers, inspectors and workers for utilities, libraries, parks, and gas and waterline maintenance. Union officials have described “crushing” workloads with unfilled positions and mandatory overtime, including 12-hour, six-days-a-week shifts at the city’s water plant, which is undergoing repairs.

The union sought an 8% labor market adjustment to its three-year contract, equal to what police and fire departments have received in recent years. It’s on the low end of what data has shown is needed to catch up, union officials have said. At a news conference in December, union co-chair Shawn Eastman said that shortly after last year’s election, Roger Reinert, then the mayor-elect, promised workers he would fight for competitive wages based on such market analysis.

Duluth’s legislative delegation, including Sen. Jen McEwen and Reps. Alicia “Liish” Kozlowski and Pete Johnson, recently shared its support of the union.

“In a strong union town like Duluth, city employees should not have to go to these lengths to secure the wages, benefits and working conditions that allow them and their families to thrive,” wrote McEwen, who is chair of the state Senate Labor Committee.

The union is expected to vote on the contract Jan. 14, and it will go before the City Council at the end of the month.