On March 8, just under 8,000 educators in Minneapolis and St. Paul public schools could strike for “Safe and Stable Schools”. Their unions are the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59, which represents 3,000 Teachers in one bargaining unit and another 1,000 Education Support Professionals (ESP’s) in a separate bargaining unit, and 3,600 Teachers, Educational Assistants, Community Service Professionals, and other Licensed Staff in the St. Paul Federation of Educators Local 28.  

Between them they are fighting for living wages for ESP’s, more mental health workers, counselors, caseload caps, smaller class sizes, lower health insurance premiums, better COVID safety, and policies to support and retain educators of color.

The resolve of these educators to strike is directly connected to the Black Lives Matter uprising in the streets after George Floyd’s murder by Minneapolis police almost two years ago, and the chronic underfunding of Minnesota schools by both the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party and Republican administrations.

Join us for this virtual solidarity meeting to learn about the issues, raise money for their strike fund, and let the districts know that the labor movement and communities in Minnesota and around the country stand in solidarity with them!

Speakers:

• Greta Callahan, President of the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Chapter Local 59

• Speaker from St. Paul Federation of Educators Local 28

• Ma-Riah Roberson-Moody, Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Educational Support Professionals First Vice-President

• Stacy Davis Gates, Vice President of the Chicago Teachers Union and the Executive Vice President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers.

• Cecily Myart-Cruz, President of the United Teachers of Los Angeles

• James Skretta, Starbucks Workers United in Buffalo, NY

Donate to the strike fund: https://www.mft59.org/strike-fund

Learn about the issues:

- https://www.mft59.org/strike-readiness

- https://www.spfe28.org/proposals/

Sign this petition to support SPFE educators in their fight for the schools St. Paul students deserve:

Sign this petition to support MPS Students and Educators for Safe and Stable Schools:

Sponsors: Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59, St. Paul Federation of Educators Local 28

Endorsers: National Educators United, Tempest Collective, Democratic Socialist Labor Commission