Minneapolis park workers strike impacting storm cleanup efforts
Storm damage lingers amid Minneapolis park worker strike
Thousands of people across the metro still don't have power after storms swept through the area over the weekend. Many of the outages are caused by downed trees, a problem usually taken care of by park and rec workers, who remain on strike in Minneapolis.
MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Thousands of people still don’t have power, with many of the outages caused by downed trees — a problem that's usually taken care of in Minneapolis by park and rec workers who remain on strike in the city.
About 300 park and maintenance workers in Minneapolis walked off the job 12 days ago after working without a contract since the beginning of the year. They are calling for better pay, benefits, and working conditions.
Since the strike began, storms have affected the area, leaving debris behind and causing outages for residents amid the heat.
"The boulevard is the park board's trees. So anything that falls from the boulevard we come out and get it out. All the debris that you normally do have that falls on your yard and you put it on the curb, we normally come and get it. So with that storm happening, I was in the car like oh my god, this is going to be bad for them," explained park worker Lanel Lane.
Meanwhile, the LIUNA Local 363 union said in a post on X that they will return to the bargaining table later Monday and will hold a press conference to update the public on the contract talks.
Thousands still without power after weekend storm
Storm damage and power outages from weekend storms linger across the Twin Cities metro Monday morning.
As of 8 a.m. on Monday, Xcel Energy is reporting more than 1,300 power outages and crews are working around the clock to restore power to more than 26,000 customers. At one point, as many as 135,000 customers were without power.
This all comes as we just passed the first 90-degree day of this summer, the latest 90-degree day since 1967. However, it comes as little consolation to those dealing with the heat and humidity without air conditioning or even fans to move a little air to try to get a break from the heat.
And while Xcel has made a lot of progress, they say power may not be fully restored until later Monday or, in some cases, even on Tuesday.
Powerful wind gusts and heavy rain left a lot of damage across the metro. The storm hit in the middle of the night, leaving plenty of broken branches, uprooted trees, and downed utility lines. Along with the torrential rain, the storm dropped some large hail. Pictures from viewers in Monticello and Big Lake showed some hail the size of a tennis ball.