MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis teachers and educational support professionals began picketing outside of schools at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday, marking the first Minneapolis teachers strike since 1970.
All classes will be canceled for the duration of the strike.
Union leaders announced the walkout Monday evening, saying they have been unable to reach an agreement with Minneapolis Public Schools.
St. Paul Public Schools will be in session Tuesday after the district reached a tentative agreement with the St. Paul Federation of Teachers late Monday. That agreement for a two-year contract includes higher wages, including for educational assistants, as well as class size caps, increased mental health supports and one-time payments for educators, the union said.
The Minneapolis union has pushed for a settlement on many of those same issues.
Dozens of teachers, mostly from the Center for Adult Learning, picketed along Lake Street in South Minneapolis on Tuesday morning.
They shouted "A union united will never be defeated" as cars drove by, many of them honking.
"A lot of people are showing up for us, said Jake Anderson, a special education teacher for Transitions Plus.
Some small kids bundled up in snow pants marched along with their parents and carried picket signs assembled at an "art build" attended by hundreds of teachers and supporters over the weekend.
The mood is "beautiful," said Aria Campbell, a student-teacher liaison and spokesperson for this site. South High teachers gathered nearby, too.
"I was hopeful we wouldn't have to strike," she said.
Enrique Vivas-Vaquero was a student at Transitions Plus through 2021. Now he's helping out the teachers on their strike. He said he wants to be a special education teacher.
"I came to support our teachers," he said. "Its really an honor to be helping out."
Negotiations between the union and the school district dragged on for months and the union filed its intent to strike in late February.
"Our members have put out a clear mandate — we need a liveable wage for [educational support professionals], we need more mental health supports, we need class size caps and we need competitive wages with other districts," said Greta Callahan, president of the teacher chapter of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers at a news conference Monday announcing the strike. "[District officials] have not moved significantly on any of those things. They are not even pretending to avoid a strike."
In a statement, Minneapolis Superintendent Ed Graff said, "While it is disappointing to hear this news, we know our organizations' mutual priorities are based on our deep commitment to the education of Minneapolis students. MPS will remain at the mediation table nonstop in an effort to reduce the length and impact of this strike."
Families should arrange child care, the district said, noting it can offer only a limited emergency child care program for students in pre-K through fifth grade.
Students can pick up meal bags with one breakfast and one lunch at their schools each day, and school-based clinics and mental health services will continue, the district said.
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(Staff writer Erin Adler contributed to this report.)
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