MINNEAPOLIS — “The fight has gone long but there’s a lot more fight in us". Those are the words of Marque Thompson, a unionized desk attendant at The River Towers condominiums in downtown Minneapolis. He is part of a dedicated group of workers in bargaining units from St. Paul to Minneapolis forging a path to a contract that could usher in trailblazing industry-wide standards. 

These high-rise condominium workers, unionized with SEIU Local 26, have been fighting and taking action for years to win a historic first contract that sets strong standards for healthcare, wages, job security, and retirement. These workers staff many areas of the condominium's everyday needs, from client services at the front desk to a wide range of other duties that keep residents satisfied and the building habitable. 

Early Friday, July 31 morning, in the pouring rain as commuters went by, workers from three locations held an info picket on the sidewalks in front The River Towers. Workers spoke out against the company’s stalling and refusal to bargain in good faith to a lively group of community supporters and union members from MFE Local 59, UFCW Local 663 and Unite Here Local 17, among others. Multiple bus drivers and commuters used car horns to show their solidarity as they passed by the corner picket’s pitched tents and chanting. 

“It’s about the people who live and work there being able to create a home environment and community.”  

Michael Rubke, a desk attendant at La Rive and member of the bargaining committee, explained what led to workers voting to authorize a ULP strike: “Our union has asked for information needed to bargain in good faith, and the bosses have yet to provide the information”

Photo: Minneapolis Labor Review / MRLF

A supermajority of unionized high-rise condo workers employed by the River Towers Association, the La Rive Condominium Association, and the Riverview Condominium Association announced on July 17, 2026 that they voted to authorize a ULP strike in response to their employers’ failure to bargain in good faith. 

At the info picket, workers at the three locations announced a strike deadline of August 14, 2026. This means union members have authorized a strike be called at any point after August 14.

Minnesota Representative Esther Agbaje (59B), whose district includes the downtown Minneapolis area where these condos are located, spoke in support of workers winning better workplace standards: “In order for these communities to continue the reputation that this is a great place to live, in downtown Minneapolis, they have to be the ones to create the good working conditions. So that means negotiating a fair contract that includes healthcare, a living wage, and an end to Unfair Labor Practices.” 

Representative Agbaje pointed out that while other downtown office buildings get fair contracts and union wages, residential building staff do not. “They should meet the same standards.”

She added that housing and profits do not mix. “It’s about the people who live and work there being able to create a home environment and community.”  

Alan Donohue, a high-rise condo desk attendant in downtown St. Paul, is part of the first Twin Cities area bargaining unit to win union recognition in March 2025. “We know that without our labor, the buildings we work in would be worse places to live. This knowledge drives us to act collectively and make demands of management that will improve our lives and our work places.” 

If the condo workers’ employers do not address their concerns by the end of business on August 14, 2026, the condo workers will begin their ULP strike — the fourth ULP strike in the Twin Cities condo industry since workers began organizing in 2022. SEIU Local 26 represents 8,000 property service workers across the Twin Cities, including janitors, security guards and high-rise window washers. ■