More talks, more pickets in Minneapolis park and rec impasse

Striking Minneapolis park and recreation workers are scheduled to rally at Lake Nokomis on Friday at 3:00 p.m. as negotiations aimed at ending the three-week walkout have resumed.

Both sides gathered at the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services at St. Paul's Bandana Square on Thursday, with talks lasting into the evening hours.

This comes after striking workers disrupted the Minneapolis Park Board meeting on Wednesday night.

Officials with LIUNA Local 363 say they would accept the latest pay offer, which reportedly is less than what they originally wanted.

Union leaders say the remaining sticking point is the board's insistency on contract language.

They believe that would significantly erode workers' rights and working conditions.

The Park Board submitted what their members called a last, best contract offer earlier this month.

That offer was rejected by the union, with workers walking off the job on the Fourth of July.

The union filed an unfair labor practices complaint against the Park Board, who originally barred any union member from returning to work without a new contract agreement.

That policy was rescinded, and the Park Board says more than half of the striking union members have gone back to work and have nearly completed cleanup from the July 14th storms.

The Park Board last week filed its own complaint, claiming picketers blocked deliveries to park-owned buildings.