If negotiations with the county are unsuccessful Monday, Ramsey County probation officers and Teamsters Local 320, the union representing more than 200 probation officers in the county, plan to strike, according to union officials.
The Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services received a notice of intent to strike from the union last week following mediation. The bureau will have both parties meet Monday in state-facilitated mediation before officers can begin a strike.
If negotiations are unsuccessful, probation officers would then have until the end of March 24 to initiate a strike.
Teamsters Local 320 represents 213 probation officers in the county.
Union officials say they want wage parity with Hennepin County probation officers and overtime parity with other correctional institution personnel in Ramsey County. Their other concerns involve professional development and seniority issues.
Negotiations stalled when the parties could not come to an agreement on professional development, according to Gus Froemke, lead negotiator with Teamsters Local 320.
Currently, probation officers are able to move up probation officer classification grades in a five-year period, Froemke said.
“Unfortunately, the employer wants it so that they have full authority over who gets to promote from probation officer to senior probation officer in the new restructured proposal,” he said.
Ramsey County’s minimum entry-level pay and maximum experience pay for probation officers are currently the lowest in the seven-county metro area, according to union officials.
“Ramsey County values its 213 probation officers represented by Teamsters Local 320 and the critical work they do,” county officials said in a statement Tuesday. “We look forward to continuing our conversations with Teamsters Local 320 at the bargaining table. Like other recently negotiated contracts, county leaders are committed to reaching a fair, equitable, and competitive agreement while ensuring high-quality service and fiscal responsibility. In preparation for a potential strike, county leaders have made arrangements to ensure uninterrupted care and well-being for staff, residents in county facilities, and the public.”
The county and the union have been negotiating since October. Represented employees with settled union contracts and most unrepresented employees receive annual wage increases of 3% in 2025, 3.5% in 2026 and 4.5% in 2027. A modernization of job classifications also has county government wages increasing by an average of 2%.
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