Twin Cities Custodians Come to Tentative Agreement

According to KSTP-TV, custodians of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26 have reached a tentative agreement with their employers in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Minnesota metro area.  

The deal was struck after more than 4,000 custodians went on a three-day strike, as reported by CMMonline.com, to secure higher wages and better retirement benefits, among other demands. According to KSTP, the new contract raises workers’ pay to US$20 an hour, offers an employer-funded retirement plan as well as life insurance, and increases available paid time off.

Custodian Mike Bartos told KSTP, “We fought extremely hard, and we got the best deal we’ve ever got because we were willing to go out on strike. We won a retirement plan and higher raises, and we helped expand union rights. We are proud of how hard we fought and are going to be ready to come back in four years to keep winning more of what we deserve.”

Union workers are expected to vote on the tentative agreement next week.