Above photo: Striking University of Minnesota Teamsters.
Minneapolis, MN – Roughly 1400 Workers at the University of Minnesota walked off the job on Monday night, September 8. beginning an open-ended strike. The workers are represented by Teamsters Local 320 and do grounds maintenance, facilities, dining services and many other important jobs that keep the university running.
The strike began on Monday night on the Crookston campus. After that, Duluth joined in, and the Twin Cities campus, which is the largest of the university campuses, began striking on Tuesday night with a large opening rally.
In the Twin Cities, around 500 Teamsters and union supporters rallied Tuesday night at 7 p.m. to support and kick off the campus pickets. The energy level was high with booming chants coming from large picket lines wrapping around the “Superblock,” which is a block of four dormitories located near the hub of the campus.
On Wednesday morning, picketing began at 5 a.m. at the Superblock and other locations, and strikers could be seen at loading docks turning away delivery trucks and vans full of scabs. The pickets were lively and boisterous.
At a loading dock between the Student Union building and hospital on campus around 6 a.m., a non-union semi-truck turned away and did not make its delivery after Teamsters held the line. Many other trucks were turned around across campus, including union truckers who honored the picket line.
The Teamsters are striking because, after months of negotiating and mediation, the university is only offering, in its last best and final proposal, minimal raises for the first year and no second-year offer. At the same time, the U is demanding a major healthcare concession that would cost more than workers would gain in the small raise, making it a fight for raises against a take-back proposal by university management.
This strike is open ended, so there is no way to know how long it will last. Dining and other services at the university are dramatically impacted by the strike.
The Teamsters are resolved to do whatever it takes to win and do not appear ready to back down any time soon.
