Target Field concessions workers strike ahead of sold-out Noah Kahan concert

Concessions workers at Target Field are walking out for an unfair labor practices strike Wednesday after they say their management company subcontracted union work to a "sham charity" shut down by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office. 

Workers will protest between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m., ahead of a sold-out Noah Kahan show.

Attorney General Keith Ellison shut down the Blaine-based nonprofit Minnesota Funding Initiative last week. The organization said it was operating a grant program to help families afford school expenses such as sports and dance.

The nonprofit classified its workers as "volunteers" who were paid "grants" based on the number of hours they "volunteered" for the organization, Ellison said. The volunteers were often parents of children in sports or dance programs, who did the same work as unionized employees at the same concession stands.

The Minnesota Funding Initiative staffed locations at Target Field, Target Center, Allianz Field, U.S. Bank Stadium, Grand Casino Arena and a number of University of Minnesota sites, Ellison said. 

"MNFI was a sham charity that took advantage of parents who wanted to afford their children's activities by luring them into 'volunteering' their labor in exchange for future 'grants,' which is a clear violation of Minnesota law," Ellison said.

Unite Here Local 17, the union that represents the 500 Target Field concessions workers, says Delaware North failed to bargain in good faith by subcontracting Minnesota Funding Initiative volunteers.

The union also says the management company interrogated and surveilled workers during a strike in June, when employees walked out to fight for higher wages and better benefits.

WCCO has reached out to their employer, Delaware North, but has not heard back.