Despite counting ballots all night and getting maybe an hour of shut-eye, two of the union leaders for Minneapolis school teachers had enough energy Tuesday morning to project hope that the strike authorization vote won't lead to a walkout.
"I will say that our members showed up, they voted, our community had our back," said Catina Taylor, who leads support professionals. "They understand we are fighting for smaller class sizes, safe staffing, and pay parity."
Issues that the union leaders say has diminished the Minneapolis school district's status as a "destination" instead of a starting off point before heading for a better job elsewhere.
The totals from the three-day vote were announced late Monday and show 92 percent of the union members favored a walkout.
The union's joint executive board meets on Wednesday to act on the vote, with the next round of bargaining with school administrators scheduled for Thursday.
"I know that nobody actually wants a strike," said Marcia Howard, teacher chapter president of the Minneapolis Federation of Educators Local 59, in a recorded message posted on social media. "But after seven months of bargaining, all we got were delays and dismissals, and not solutions from the district."
"Where there's breath, there's hope," said Howard, noting that the strike authorization, and threat of a walkout, is a last chance act to get a contract teachers feel they deserve.
Minneapolis administrators say they want an agreement that works within available resources, and the next bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday.
At issue are class size, wages, and support from the administration.
The union must give a ten-day notice if they set a strike date.
The last time Minneapolis teachers walked off the job was in 2022.
That walkout lasted three weeks.