Minneapolis teachers reach tentative agreement with school district
April 26, 2024
MINNEAPOLIS — The Minneapolis Federation of Teachers and the Minneapolis Public Schools jointly announced a tentative agreement April 26 for a new two-year contract for MFT’s teacher chapter.
Representatives of the union and the school district discussed the agreement at a joint news conference at school district headquarters.
The deal was reached at 12:30 a.m. early that morning on a day when the teachers originally planned to conclude a strike authorization vote.
Instead, teachers will vote May 8-10 to ratify or reject the tentative agreement.
“I cannot think of a bargaining agreement I’ve been as proud of as this one,” said Brionna Harder, lead negotiator for MFT and a Henry High School social studies teacher. Harder has worked 25 years for the Minneapolis school district and has been involved with contract negotiations for 20 years.
“This contract has been years in the making,” Harder said, calling it a “historic agreement.”
“In education right now, we’re in one of those moments where it feels like we’re doing both incremental and radical change,” Harder said.
“We’re feeling like we won and the students are going to win from this contract,” said Greta Callahan, MFT teacher chapter president and kindergarten teacher.
Callahan added: “It is the highest raises we have seen in our unit for over 25 years.”
The wage increases were important to retain experienced teachers and be more competitive with neighboring districts, union leaders said.
Details of the agreement will be released Monday after copies are provided to MFT 59 teacher chapter members.
Two years ago, both MFT’s teacher chapter and educational support professionals chapter waged a three-week strike before settling contracts with the district.
“I’m so proud we were able to settle this at the table even though we were ready to take it to the streets,” said Marcia Howard, first vice president of MFT 59’s teacher chapter and an English teacher at Roosevelt High School.
Since the 2022 strike, the Minneapolis school district has a new superintendent and a new head of human resources.
“The forces in power are moving differently,” Howard said. “It’s a new era in Minneapolis.”
“Together, we are MPS,” said the new district superintendent, Lisa Sayles-Adams, who became superintendent in February 2024. “When I’m out in the community… the common theme that comes up is you, our educators.”
“This is a wonderful example of what ‘together’ looks like,” said Alicia Miller, the district’s senior human resources officer, who took on that role in August 2023.
Collin Beachy, the chair of the Minneapolis school board, said he was proud that students can see an example of collaboration in the settling of the teacher contract. “We look forward to continued collaboration with the MFT,” he said.
Members of MFT’s educational support professionals chapter today were scheduled to conclude a two-day strike authorization vote. Results of the ESP chapter’s strike authorization vote will be announced Saturday.
***
[UPDATE 4/29/24: In voting results announced April 27, members of MFT's Educational Support Professionals chapter voted overwhelmingly to authorize a strike. Another mediation session between ESP negotiators and the school district is set for Wednesday, May 1.]
