Twin Cities condo workers to begin Unfair Labor Practice 2-day strike late Thursday

MINNEAPOLIS – Workers of FirstService Residential (FSR) across the Twin Cities will begin a strike Thursday night.

The group of workers voted to authorize the Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) strike during voting in September. They had set an Oct. 11 deadline for action from FSR to address the Unfair Labor Practices facing workers. The deadline passed with no action from FSR. 

The group will be striking at seven of the biggest condos in the Twin Cities: 1200 on the Mall, Centre Village, Grant Park Condos, Bridgewater, The River Towers, Riverview, and Gallery Tower.

Lena Roth works as a desk attendant in Minneapolis. She's worked for FirstService Residential for seven years.

"I am joining this ULP strike because people keep saying we should 'get a better job,' but this can and should be a good job. Someone has to do this critical work supporting our residential communities in Minneapolis," said Roth. "We need to address the high turnover by improving wages and healthcare, stopping requirements for us to work outside of our job description, and putting an end to inconsistent pay scales.

FirstService's reported revenue has increased 35% since 2020, while rent in Minneapolis has gone up an average of 9%. Many of FSR's workers have not been awarded raises yet this year.

In response, FirstService Residential Minnesota said in a statement: 

SEIU Local 26 has no legal standing to represent the employees of FirstService Residential Minnesota under the law. Back in May, SEIU Local 26 contacted us to make a proposal to waive our employees' rights to vote on union representation through procedures established by the National Labor Relations Board, which we will not agree to. Since then, SEIU Local 26 has resorted to pressure tactics, including inaccurate media statements and today's protests, of which only a small number of employees participated. Our company will continue to comply with the law and encourage employees to ask questions and obtain the information necessary from sources they trust to make employment decisions that are right for them and their families.