1970 Minneapolis teachers' strike

In April 1970, roughly 1,800 teachers in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States, represented by the Minneapolis Federation of Teachers Local 59, went on strike after negotiations with Minneapolis Public Schools over a new labor contract had reached an impasse. The strike lasted from April 9 to April 29, before a compromise was reached between the two parties.

In 1946, teachers in nearby Saint Paul had gone on strike over large class sizes and low pay, among other issues, and while their strike succeeded in addressing their issues, the state passed a law a few years later barring public employees from engaging in strike actions. However, by the late 1960s, teachers in Minneapolis were beginning to face the same issues that their compatriots in Saint Paul had, particularly regarding pay. However, the school district refused to meet their demands for increased salaries, stating that they did not have the financial ability to do so. As a result, on April 9, about half of the teachers in Minneapolis began picketing outside of their schools. On April 13, the district closed their schools indefinitely due to the teacher shortage. However, by April 29, the two sides agreed to end the strike, with the union agreeing to a compromise on pay and the district agreeing to not penalize formerly striking teachers.

The following year, the state government passed laws addressing some of the issues raised by the strikers. A law was passed that allowed for public employees to legally strike, while legislation that increased school funding was also signed into law. The labor dispute would remain the last teachers' strike in the city until 2022. During news coverage of that event, it was discovered that an 11-year-old Prince had participated in protests in favor of the teachers.