Union approves deal, ends plow driver strike in St. Louis County, Minnesota

ST. LOUIS COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) - The snow plow driver strike in St. Louis County, Minnesota is over.

FOX 21 reports, Teamsters Local 320 approved a deal with a unanimous 133 to 0 vote. The 168 employees belonging to the union are expected to return to work on Tuesday. Union drivers are responsible for clearing more than 3,000 miles of roads in St. Louis County.

"We are thankful to have reached this agreement and to welcome our employees back to work," said Kevin Gray, St. Louis County administrator in a press release. "Both sides worked very hard to get to this point. This has been a challenging time for all of us. We have always recognized the hard work and important contributions of these employees, and our focus now is to move forward again as a team."

Monday morning, the Teamsters Local 320 announced they had reached a settlement with St. Louis County. The deal is a three-year contract that lasts through 2022. Over the three-year period, most employees will received a wage increase of 10.5 percent to 12.5 percent.

One of the sticking points for the union workers was changes to sick leave accrual. While this deal does not include any changes to the accrual cap, it does allow for a health savings plan option. 

The county board is expected to ratify the contract by the end of February.