Last summer, Minneapolis park workers were forced into a historic 22-day strike over respect and dignity—the first in the Minneapolis Park Board’s 141-year history. Now, incumbents who oversaw one of the most appalling anti-worker campaigns our city has seen in a generation are running for re-election.
Minneapolis park workers are urging DFL delegates: Don’t endorse union-busting Commissioners Meg Forney, Steffanie Musich and Cathy Abene.
When park workers voted ninety four percent in favor of authorizing a strike in June 2024, the Park Board responded not with compromise but with deliberate escalation. They worsened their offer, proposing to undercut workers’ pay, benefits, and working conditions even further.
This wasn't tough negotiating. The anti-worker actions by Forney, Musich and Abene, along with Superintendent Al Bangoura, aimed to break a union of public servants who maintain the crown jewel of our city:
- They issued an illegal gag order to silence workers attempting to raise public awareness about practices harming low-income, Black and Brown communities.
- They manipulated public meetings, adjourning early to prevent pro-worker motions and canceled subsequent meetings.
- They threatened workers with an illegal lockout, spreading misinformation with fear and intimidation.
- They rejected Mayor Frey's offer to mediate, then misled the public about non-existent legal constraints.
- They took advantage of youth workers, primarily young people of color, by assigning them striking workers' duties and forcing them to cross picket lines.
- They attempted to bargain to strip thirty workers of union representation entirely.
Minneapolis parks are consistently ranked among the nation's best because of the skilled workers who care for them — professionals who create and maintain trails, facilities, athletic fields, safe playgrounds, the urban forest, and welcoming spaces for all residents.
When the moment demanded leadership, Commissioners Forney, Musich and Abene chose obstruction, deception, and union-busting tactics. Mid-strike, Commissioners Becky Alper and Tom Olsen proposed a resolution directing staff to settle the labor dispute with LIUNA Local 363 promptly. Alper said, “It’s time for us, the leaders of the Minneapolis parks system who the voters entrusted, to lean in and resolve this dispute…It’s high time for this strike to end.”
Commissioners Alper, Olsen and Menz then voted in support of reaching a fair agreement and ending the strike. Commissioners Forney, Thompson, Shaffer, Musich and Abene voted in opposition, killing the agreement and continuing the strike.
The stark difference in leadership is clear. By contrast, the vast majority of Minneapolis City Councilmembers, State Legislators, Attorney General Keith Ellison, and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan stood with park workers, walking the picket lines, speaking at rallies, voicing support, and publicly and privately urging the Park Board to bargain in good faith and reach a fair agreement.
Forney, Musich and Abene failed when they had the opportunity to stand with workers. Now, the moment demands your leadership. Seize this opportunity to endorse a pro-worker Park Board.
Today, join us in voting for the Minneapolis Regional Labor Federation-endorsed slate of Park Board candidates for the DFL endorsement.
AJ Lange is Business Manager of LIUNA Local 363, which represents over 1000 public employees in Minneapolis and St. Paul.