DULUTH — St. Louis County Public Works employees voted against the county final contract proposal Monday night, automatically triggering a strike that Teamsters Local 320 president Erik Skoog has said won't happen immediately — but will be "extremely deliberate."
The union members overwhelmingly rejected the contract, a three-year proposal described in a county news release as "fair and equitable to both our employees in Public Works Highway Maintenance Division and to the residents and businesses we serve."
Over the weekend, the county tacked on an additional benefit: a 25-cents-per-hour private-use allowance for most workers, the equivalent of about $500 a year to be used for purchasing cold weather gear and safety equipment.
Skoog described the county's last-minute additional offer as a "Hail Mary pass."
"We caught it and said no," Skoog said.
With its new contract, the union is asking for a 4% raise this year and 3% the two following years and a $500 yearly bonus. The county is offering a 3% general wage increase each year with eligible employees getting step increases up to 3.88% each year and a one-time payment of $400. It is also offering a $200 safety shoe allowance and $150 toward cold-weather gear purchased from county-arranged vendors.
Skoog said the two sides are close and that the union would like to "go back to the table" before they file the intent to strike with the state.
"We are disappointed and discouraged to hear the outcome of the vote by members of the Teamsters Local 320 who have rejected our contract proposal as part of labor negotiations," read a statement from St. Louis County.
