On December 1, 2023, the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis filed for mediation with the Bureau of Mediation Services (BMS), the state agency responsible for administering the Public Employment Labor Relations Act. Under state law and BMS rules, mediation is closed to the public unless the BMS Commissioner determines that closing the meeting will not facilitate a resolution. In this case, the Commissioner has stated that he believes “a closed mediation provides the parties with the best opportunity to reach a mutual agreement,” so the mediation sessions are not open to the public. The City and the Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis are currently engaged in mediation per these rules. Out of respect to the confidentiality expectations of the mediation process the City will not share details about the proposals at this time, but the City believes its most recent proposal is fair and competitive. This page will be updated when there is more information.

Collective bargaining

A new contract is needed. The process we use to negotiate a new contract is called collective bargaining. State law requires public employers, like Minneapolis, to meet and negotiate on topics deemed by state law to be mandatory subjects of bargaining.

Parties involved

The groups involved with this collective bargaining process will include The City of Minneapolis and the union for the bargaining unit(s). The Police Officers Federation of Minneapolis (POFM) is the exclusive representative for the current bargaining unit. 

Process transparency

The contract must comply with federal, state, and local law. The collective bargaining agreement for this process is governed by Chapter 179A (Public Employment Labor Relations Act) of the Minnesota Statutes.

Read Chapter 179A Statute

Information shared

During the negotiations process, the public will be informed of:

• Public meeting times, dates, and locations (see Minn. Stat. §179A.14)
• Proposals (public documents only)
• Supporting documents (when allowed by Minnesota Statutes Chapter 13, Government Data Practices Act)
• The City of Minneapolis anticipates contract negotiations to begin after the City’s BMS petition for unit clarification is resolved. When we know the dates, times, and locations we will post them.

Read how the community has been engaged in the process