DULUTH, Minn. (AP) - Union snowplow drivers are set to strike Wednesday in northeastern Minnesota’s St. Louis County as snow moves into the area.
Teamsters Local 320 posted on Facebook that union negotiators and members decided to engage in a county-wide work stoppage. The local’s chief negotiator, Erik Skoog, posted that the strike will begin at 7 a.m. Wednesday.
Union members voted overwhelmingly Saturday to reject the county’s final contract offer, citing issues over healthcare and accrued sick leave. The drivers could have gone on strike as early as Tuesday.
“This was a tough decision for the membership to make,” local secretary-treasurer Brian Aldes said on Facebook.
County officials have a contingency plan to keep roads plowed. The union plans mobile pickets to follow Public Works vehicles that aren’t driven by Teamsters.
St. Louis County’s Public Works Department plows more than 3,000 miles (4,800 kilometers) of roads.
Snow is in the forecast. National Weather Service meteorologist Josh Sandstrom said St. Louis County could see 1-3 inches (2.5-7.6 centimeters) of snow Wednesday, with 4 inches (10 centimeters) possible in the southern part of the county, including Duluth. A system bringing more than 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) of snow and up to 10 inches (25.4 centimeters) along Lake Superior is expected to move in Friday.
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This story has been corrected to delete reference to county plowing state highways.
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