The fate of the Farm Aid concert at Huntington Bank Stadium next weekend remains in limbo, as Willie Nelson said he has reached out to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz to reach a resolution.
Farm Aid organizers, artists and production crews announced Thursday they wouldn’t cross the picket line of Teamsters workers who are strike at the University of Minnesota. The move opens the possibility that the massive concert scheduled for Sept. 20 will be moved or canceled
Crews were supposed to start building the stage Friday, but by Friday afternoon the Teamsters Local 320 union said members are “standing strong on all campuses” and “will not settle for anything less than what the negotiating team has demanded.”
Farm Aid co-founder Willie Nelson said in a statement Friday evening he had spoken with Gov. Tim Walz and “I’m grateful that he understands what’s at stake for farmers and Farm Aid. His involvement is very appreciated. We both know that, ultimately, it’s up to the University to do the right thing, and soon, so that Farm Aid 40 can go forward.”
A spokesperson for the governor’s office confirmed Walz is working with “all parties involved,” including Nelson.
The University has held firm and said in a statement on Thursday Farm Aid’s fate “is not a University of Minnesota decision.”
Farm Aid organizers had no further comment Friday afternoon after announcing Thursday the “farm and labor movements are inseparable and we believe strongly that the University must return to the bargaining table in good faith.”
The Teamsters Local 320 strike began Monday and involved 1,400 custodial, maintenance, food service and sanitation workers at university campuses and satellite locations around the state. The union and the university have accused one another of failing to return to contract talks during a contentious week of picketing.
