15 arrested at MSP Airport during janitors' strike, organizers say
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Over a dozen people were allegedly arrested at Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Wednesday during the third and final day of an unfair labor practices strike for thousands of Twin Cities janitors.
According to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 26, 15 people, including SEIU Executive Vice President Neal Bisno were arrested for civil disobedience.
Over 4,000 commercial janitors with SEIU Local 26 began a three-day strike at 6 a.m. outside the Ameriprise headquarters in downtown Minneapolis on Monday. Since then, workers have picketed at over 100 buildings across the metro.
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The majority of janitors are immigrants and people of color who average $18 an hour. Ava Lopez, a janitor and the union's vice president, says that is not enough for her and her two children.
"It's so hard to live with $18 because the rent is so high, the groceries is so high and we have a lot of things to pay, and $18 is not enough," Lopez said.
The striking janitors will return to work Thursday morning before the union and employers hit the bargaining table on Friday.