Gov. Mark Dayton Monday asked American Crystal Sugar and its locked out union to resume negotiations and offered to go to Moorhead next week to help the process along.
"I am willing to initiate those negotiations and to remain until their successful conclusion," Dayton said in a letter to the company president and the president of the AFL-CIO local union.
He said he would participate in the negotiations as early as Dec. 13.
"I envision [negotiations] occurring every day and nigh from 9:00 a.m. until midnight, until an agreement is reached," Dayton wrote.
The governor took a Saturday trip to Moorhead to try to jumpstart talks.
Update: From the AFL-CIO:
John Riskey, President of BCTGM Local 167G, Roger Delage, President of BCTGM Local 267G, and Gayln Olson, President of BCTGM Local 372G issued the following joint statement in response to Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton's offer to convene negotiations between BCTGM and American Crystal Sugar:
"We whole-heartedly accept Governor Dayton's offer to resume contract negotiations with American Crystal Sugar and to continue them until a deal is reached.
"The Governor identified December 13th as the earliest date he could begin negotiations and we will be ready on that date will new proposals to put on the table.
"On behalf of the 1,300 locked out American Crystal Sugar workers, we thank Governor Dayton for his leadership in restarting negotiations.
Here's Dayton's letter:
