Union service workers at the University of Minnesota announced Thursday their intent to strike Aug. 20 if their demands for better wages and workplace conditions are not met.
Teamsters Local 320 represents over 1,400 people whose jobs include cleaning buildings, preparing food, caring for research animals and maintaining HVAC systems, among other roles across the university’s five campuses.
The union has been without a contract since June 30, though negotiations began in March.
Union leaders are holding ground on wage increases that keep up with inflation, higher shift differentials for evening workers, more leave protections and stronger anti-harassment language in the union contract.
“The message from our side of the table has been consistent. We want a good contract,” said Jackson Kerr, lead negotiator for the bargaining unit.
The strike would begin just ahead of the school year, as many incoming freshmen arrive at U of M campuses for welcome week activities.
And it would take place amid a tough financial landscape at the U of M, where the Board of Regents last June approved the biggest tuition increase in two decades and cut seven percent across the university budget.
“The University has negotiated and will continue to negotiate in good faith with Teamsters 320 and made efforts to reach an agreement on an updated contract since negotiations began on March 27,” reads a U of M statement.
“The union and broader University community are aware of the financial challenges that higher education faces in the near and long term. The University is not immune to those challenges. The University has plans in place should a strike occur and is fully committed to minimizing any disruption this action might cause for our students, faculty, staff, and community,” the statement continues.
A strike was authorized by 97 percent of U of M service workers, according to Teamsters Local 320, and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters said it would provide $1,000 per week in strike benefits for union members.
The state Bureau of Mediation Services will facilitate further negotiating sessions between the union and U of M.
