Facebook Instagram Twitter YouTube

The Minneapolis Teachers’ Strike Isn’t Over Until The Workers Decide It’s Over

The Minneapolis Public School District reached a tentative agreement with the teachers’ union and only a few hours later, called families and teachers to say the strike is over. But teachers have the right to read the proposed agreement, discuss and decide. The strike isn’t over until rank and file teachers say it is.

Tatiana Cozzarelli

March 25, 2022
Facebook Twitter Share
Photo by Luigi Morris, 2022

As Minneapolis teachers are nearing the end of the third week of their strike, a tentative agreement was reached early Friday morning between the union’s negotiating team and the Minneapolis public school district. 

Before the agreement was even released to the teachers, the district began flooding parents and educators with messages that classes are back on Monday. 

This is a lie. 

A tentative agreement does not end a strike.

Only the workers on strike (in this case, the teachers and support staff) have the ability to do that — and they need time and space to read the tentative agreement, discuss it among their co-workers, community members and families, and then vote on it. The TA will be voted on by the rank and file on Sunday. Educators have the right to vote in favor or against the agreement.

The strike is not over until the teachers say it is. And it’s certainly not over before teachers even get to read the contract. 

Make no mistake, the goal of the school district here is to create confusion, intimidate teachers, and erode community support for the strike. 

Throughout the strike, there has been broad community support for the strike, expressed in donuts delivered to picket lines, in cars honking in solidarity as they pass, and even a student occupation of the Davis Center, where negotiations are being held. 

Now that a tentative agreement has been reached, the district is lying to parents and families — giving them the idea that the strike is over and that kids will be back in the classroom on Monday. Now, if teachers vote down the tentative agreement — which is their right — the district will try to spin it to erode community support. 

It’s a disgusting, strike-breaking tactic on the part of the district. But the teachers don’t buy it; as they have chanted over and over: they plan to “hold the line.” And teachers must hold the line until the rank and file have decided that this is a satisfactory agreement. Or, if they don’t find it satisfactory, they must hold the line until an acceptable agreement is reached.

At the Henry High School picket line, one teacher, speaking on the megaphone to a crowd of staff and students said: “Don’t believe [the robocalls]. We have to vote on the contract first. It is a tactic that MPS is using to get us to vote ‘yes’ on the contract, but we are still in charge. We are in charge. Who’s got the power? We got the power!”

The community understands that teachers are on strike to improve the learning conditions for their kids. This is a strike for Minneapolis kids and the Minneapolis community, as much as it’s a strike about teachers. 

Teachers are striking not only for salary increases, but also for a better education for all students. This includes hiring more guidance counselors, recruiting and retaining teachers of color, and offering smaller class sizes. They are also demanding higher wages for Educational Support Professionals who earn as little as $24,000 a year. They know that Minneapolis has the money — the city just increased wages for police officers, and there is a $9 billion surplus in the state of Minnesota. 

Some teachers are demanding that the Tentative Agreement not be voted on until Monday. As one teacher said to us: “We need more time to look at the contract … The strike is not over. We are still here, wondering what agreement has been made. We need to meet as a school community to decide if we should approve it or vote no on it.”

Similarly, students who have been occupying the Davis Center, where contract negotiations were taking place, said: “We know how the MPS said we would be going back to school on Monday. But we’re waiting for the call from [the union], we are waiting for your guys’ approval because I know you want what is best for me and my peers. We will be by your side if we go back to school on Monday, in three weeks…” 

“We are Not One, We are All of Us”

When students organized a sit-in at the Davis Center, one of the administrators asked a few students to meet privately, away from their peers, to discuss their demands. The students refused. They argued that anything that had to be said should be said in front of all students.

“We are not one, we are all of us,” one student declared. 

The same spirit applies here. It’s not up to a handful of people to decide when the strike is over. It’s up to all the teachers and ESPs. And it’s essential that those on strike have time and space and structure to discuss the contract.

Every morning, teachers are on picket lines at their school. Sometimes they get in a circle and listen to announcements. Now, teachers need to meet, with the tentative agreement in hand and decide on whether this is an acceptable contract. Each school, where teachers and community members have been gathering to fundraise, have coffee or share a meal, should become a space for democratic discussion — to listen to each other, to weigh the options and then to vote. 

A tentative agreement does not mean the strike is over. The teachers must discuss and democratically decide on their plan of action.

Facebook Twitter Share

Tatiana Cozzarelli

Tatiana is a former middle school teacher and current Urban Education PhD student at CUNY.

Labor Movement

Prof. Gail Green-Anderson of LaGuardia Community College at a rally outside Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s Manhattan office on Thursday.

Rekindling the Militant Spirit of CUNY’s Past

Mayor Eric Adams has announced an austerity budget that includes significant cuts to the City University of New York among other city agencies. In order to defeat these cuts, students, faculty, and other workers across the city must unite our struggles and be prepared to shut the university down.

James Dennis Hoff

May 22, 2023

Over 11,000 TV and Film Writers Go on Strike Across the Country

The WGA strike has the potential to deal a blow to systemic hyper-exploitation in entertainment, and establish workers as a fighting force within the industry.

Ezra Brain

May 2, 2023
People in New York march on May Day 2022 holding a banner that reads "No contract no peace."

This May Day, the Stage Is Set for Class Struggle

This May Day, we reflect on the state of the U.S. labor movement and some of the demands we must fight for in the next period.

Left Voice

May 1, 2023
United Parcel Service and the Teamsters hold a rally before before the beginning of the largest U.S. private sector labor contract talks covering more than 330,000 U.S. drivers, package handlers and loaders at the global delivery firm, in Orange, California, U.S. April 15, 2023.

The Fight of Our Lives: 2023 UPS-Teamsters Contract Campaign

Workers at UPS are gearing up for a contract fight this year. To revive the labor movement and win meaningful gains, it’s essential to increase the involvement of rank-and-file UPS workers.

Left Voice

May 1, 2023

MOST RECENT

Tracking, Deportations, Internment: European Countries Go on the Hunt for Migrants

On May 10, German chancellor Olaf Scholz strengthened Germany’s anti-migrant policy. This means more deportations, border patrol reinforcements, and economic agreements with sending countries. The new policy is being deployed throughout Europe.

Leo Stella

May 25, 2023

#AllthatsLeftPod: Three Years Since the George Floyd Uprising:

In this episode of the podcast, we reflect on the 2020 George Floyd uprising, which began three years ago. We discuss how to turn the energy of a mass uprising into a sustained movement, and the kind of revolutionary leadership that's required to do so.

Left Voice

May 25, 2023

Fight Capitalism, Fight for Neurodivergent Liberation

Neurodivergent and disability liberation will have to come from the overthrow of capitalism and the building of a socialist system which values different forms of human behavior and directs resources to meeting human needs.

Sam Carliner

May 23, 2023
People in Berlin demonstrating on the 75th anniversary of the Nakhba.

Berlin Police Attack Jews and Palestinians Commemorating the Nakba

On the 75th anniversary of the Nakba, the Berlin police banned all Palestinian demonstrations, and broke up a demonstration of Jewish Berliners in solidarity with Palestinians.

Nathaniel Flakin

May 22, 2023