Minneapolis, MN – More than 100 workers rallied here March 12 against a proposed cut to the Regents Scholarship, a benefit that allows University of Minnesota employees to take classes without paying tuition.

AFSCME 3800, AFSCME 3937 and other concerned employees and students organized the rally and collected more than 1000 signatures on a petition in response to a university administration proposal that will require employees who wish to take a class at the through the Regents Scholarship to pay 25% of the tuition for their class.

Cherrene Horazuk of AFSCME 3800 said, “Given the alarming tuitions rates here at the U and the decreasing buying power of our wages, this is yet another slash in our ever-shrinking benefits package.” She added, “The Regents Scholarship allows entry-level employees to increase skills and get better jobs in the future.”

Phyllis Walker, president of AFSCME 3800 said, “71% of the staff who use Regents Scholarships are unionized and civil service employees. We cannot afford to have the university budget balanced on the backs of hard-working employees while hundreds of administrators make more than the governor of the state of Minnesota.”

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Over 1200 University of Minnesota AFSCME workers were on strike for 18 days in September, mainly over wages. The university administration refused to give clerical, technical and health care workers the full raise that the state legislature had allotted for them and that other state workers had received. Instead the administration shortchanged the workers and dug in it its heels. In spite of the strike, broad student, community and labor support, and significant legislative pressure in support of the workers, the administration remained intransigent on the workers’ main wage demand.

Union members wanted to send a message to the Regents that even though members voted to end the strike out of financial necessity, that doesn’t mean the workers are satisfied with the settlement. A statement issued by the union and distributed to those in attendance at the Regents meeting said, “This settlement is inadequate. It does not account for the ever rising cost of food, gas and housing.” Workers are back at work, but are continuing the fight for a living wage that keeps pace with inflation.

The University, fearing a disruption of the meeting, responded to the AFSCME workers’ attendance at the regents meeting with a large police presence in the meeting room and throughout the McNamara building. However, there was no disruption, just a visible presence of union members wearing union t-shirts and buttons. About half the meeting room was filled with union members who all stood up silently together when their contract was brought up for discussion. As the regents voted to ratify the contract, many union members turned their backs on the board in a show of disgust.

After the regents meeting the AFSCME workers held a rally outside the building to inspire their co-workers to action for the continuing struggle for a living wage for clerical, technical and health care workers at the U. Speakers at the rally included Phyllis Walker, president of AFSCME Local 3800, Barb Bezat, president of AFSCME Local 3937, Gil Huie of Local 3937, and Jess Crary of the Living Wage Avengers.

Living Wage Avengers is a rank-and-file group of workers and students that emerged after the strike to organize in creative ways to continue the fight for a living wage. At the rally, Crary said, “We are the Living Wage Avengers, colleagues who met on the picket lines, a group committed to taking direct action for the sake of economic justice, a group that exists because of the strike. Our union leaders and active union members continue to fight, and so must we all continue to fight. Our chance to affect change has been sitting here in front of us, just waiting for us to grab it. The strike is our catalyst for action. Our time is right here, our time is right now.” Crary added, “and our power only grows from this moment.”

In an interview in the Minnesota Daily newspaper in October, University of Minnesota President Bob Bruininks stated that he thinks that, “no one, absolutely no one, wins when you have a strike. Everyone loses. And I think that was the case here at the University of Minnesota.”

Speaking at the rally, AFSCME 3800 president Phyllis Walker disagreed. She said, “In a strike it is easy to quantify the losses – all you have to do is add up the salary you lost. But the wins are there, and they definitely outweigh the losses. We were strong, we were united and that solidarity will carry us forward and keep us strong for future battles – and there will be many future battles. Our strike has put the university on notice that we are willing and able to stand and fight this union busting, anti-worker employer together and that will act as a springboard for the campaigns that lay ahead.”

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Lasting almost three weeks, the strike mobilized over 1,000 workers. Daily strike rallies mobilized thousands of strikers and supporters in the first week. In the second week of the strike, picketing focused on cutting off supplies coming in on trucks to the U’s loading docks. Many truck drivers are union members who won’t cross picket lines. By picketing the loading docks, strikers were able to turn away and delay many trucks, causing chaos inside the U. Many picketers spoke joyfully of defying one of the U’s top lawyers, who spent days running around the loading docks trying to intimidate picketers. The strike brought the rank and file members of all four U of M AFSCME unions together for the first time. Union members were transformed during the strike, becoming much more organized and disciplined on the picket lines as they saw that disciplined picketing could seriously affect the U’s operations.

The striking workers received large amounts of support from students, professors, state legislators, other unions and community members. A Labor and Community Support Committee organized daily actions to support the workers during the strike. Over 20 academic department heads wrote letters to U of M President Bruininks supporting the workers’ demands, as did thousands of students and professors. During the first week of the strike over 100 students marched into the U Board of Regents meeting on September 7 to talk to them about the workers’ demands. The regents walked out of the room and had five protesters arrested.

In the second week of the strike, eleven students, a professor, and two workers launched a hunger strike in solidarity with striking workers. Two days later 40 more people joined the hunger strike for a day. The hunger strike lasted until the end of the strike, with one student going to the hospital with dehydration while another got walking pneumonia. The U administration appeared unprepared to respond to the hunger strike. On the third day of the hunger strike, a U spokesperson announced they would send a nutritionist to talk to the students about proper nutrition. According to hunger striker Tracy Molm, “the administration pretended to care about our health by sending out a nutritionist. At the same time they were ready to jeopardize the health care coverage of thousands of striking workers by allowing the strike to drag on past when workers’ health benefits would expire. And if they cared about the hunger strikers’ health, they could have just settled the strike, which would have ended the hunger strike too. The administration doesn’t care about workers or students.”

Hundreds of students marched on various parts of the sprawling U of M campus in almost daily marches and rallies supporting the strike. When students marched by picket lines, a popular chant was “workers and student will never be defeated!” On one night, a labor fundraiser raised over $20,000 from other unions to support the U workers’ hardship fund. Members of other unions in the area joined the U of M picket lines and rallies.

Prominent state legislators wrote open letters to U of M President Bruininks, saying they had budgeted more money for workers’ raises and criticizing him for giving workers less.

The U of M strike seriously disrupted some key clinics and offices, while the workers received broad public support. But despite this, the U administration refused to give in on the workers’ main demand – to increase their across-the-board annual pay raise to keep pace with inflation. Instead, the strike won larger one-time “lump sum” payments in both years of the contract. While winning more money could be considered a partial victory, union leaders noted that lump sum payments don’t go on the base salary to help wages keep up with inflation over time. “This offer is unfair because it fails to keep up with inflation,” said Rhonda Jennen, president of the health care workers. “The U is choosing to impoverish some of its workers. World class universities don’t treat their workers like second class citizens.”

On September 21, the union ended the strike and decided to bring the administration’s settlement offer back to all members for a vote, without recommendation. Normally when there is a tentative agreement the union will recommend that union members vote for the proposal. The lack of a recommendation made clear the union’s unhappiness with the U’s settlement offer. Regardless of how the vote turns out, union leaders and rank and file members are continuing their campaign for economic justice for the lowest paid workers at the University. “We are forced back to work because we can no longer sustain the loss of salary and a looming end to our health care coverage...we remain shocked by the administration’s absolute disregard for people’s lives,” said Denise Osterholm, President of UM-Duluth’s Local 3801. “This settlement is inadequate in that it does not account for the ever rising cost of food, gas and housing. Because of inflation, someone starting work under this contract will earn eight percent less than someone who started the job in 2003.”

In a statement announcing the end of the strike, the union said, “We have been met at every turn by an intransigent administration, led by President Robert Bruininks and Vice President and Provost E. Thomas Sullivan, who are committed to the idea that those who already have should have ever more while the have-nots are pushed further to the bottom.”

Phyllis Walker, Local 3800 president, said, “We wish to thank the many thousands across the state who have given us support, including faculty, students, unions and community members. We are energized to build a world class union. We are confident that we will do that before the administration builds a world class University. Bruininks and Sullivan have an agenda of more money for the rich, more free research for corporations, and education only for the elite. Their agenda shuts working class Minnesotans out of the University.”

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September 21, 2007  – After 15 hours of mediation, the negotiating committee of University of Minnesota AFSCME has made the decision to take the University Administration's settlement offer to union members for a vote.

The two-year contract offer contains a 2.25 percent cost of living increase for clerical and technical workers, a 2.5 percent cost of living increase for healthcare workers, plus steps and a $300 lump sum in each year. Workers who don't receive step increases will get an additional $300 in each year. This offer will go to members without recommendation from the negotiating committee.

“We are forced back to work because we can no longer sustain the loss of salary and a looming end to our health care coverage. A typical striker earns $34,000 a years and qualifies for food stamps if supporting a family of four. We remain shocked by the administrations absolute disregard for people's lives,” said Denise Osterholm, President of UMD Local 3801.

This settlement is inadequate in that it does not account for the ever rising cost of food, gas and housing. Because of inflation, someone starting work under this contract will earn eight percent less than someone who started the job in 2003.

Barb Bezat, President of the Technical Local 3937 said, “The University should be ashamed that its workers can't afford to attend or send their kids to the University.”

“This offer is unfair because it fails to keep up with inflation,” said, Rhonda Jennen President of the healthcare workers. “The U is choosing to impoverish some of its workers. World class universities don't treat their workers like second class citizens.”

We have been met at every turn by an intransigent administration, led by President Robert Bruininks and Vice President and Provost E. Thomas Sullivan, who are committed to the idea that those who already have should have ever more while the have-nots are pushed further to the bottom.

“While we have a great commitment to the University of Minnesota as an institution, we have been treated with disrespect and disregard by the current administration.” said Bezat.

Phyllis Walker, Clerical Local 3800 President said, “We wish to thank the many thousands across the state who have given us support, including faculty, students, unions and community members. We are energized to build a world class union. We are confident that we will do that before the administration builds a world class University. Bruininks and Sullivan have an agenda of more money for the rich, more free research for corporations, and education only for the elite. Their agenda shuts working class Minnesotans out of the University.”

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State Rep. Frank Hornstein, D-Minneapolis, said, “I speak for many of my colleagues in demanding that the collective bargaining process resume and the university come back to the table.” He added, “We don't want the leadership of this institution to squander the goodwill they now have. We don't want the strike to last a day longer.”

State Sen. John Marty, D-Roseville, said, “The 2007 increase in the university's appropriation was a response to Bruinink's request to fund increases in compensation. We didn't expect the pay raise would be dished out so that the people at the bottom of the pay scale get the least. But that's what's happening here. President Bruininks, I appeal to you and the Board of Regents. I think it's time to get back to the bargaining table. Do the right thing.”

State Sen. Patricia Torres Ray, D-Minneapolis stated, “I am incredibly disappointed with the administration's actions. This is an issue of equity and fairness. I am going to make sure that in the future, we question the appropriation for the university in the Senate.”

Brian Senske, AFSCME Local 3937 member and technical worker at university Medical School said, “We work hard and we love our jobs and we love this institution. But we can't afford to make any more sacrifices for it. We need to get back to the table and back to work but we deserve a fair wage increase that keeps us up with inflation.”

In related a developments, a hunger strike by students who are in solidarity with university workers entered its second day. Also, strikers converged on campus loading docks, delaying and turning back trucks making deliveries.

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The strike continues to take its toll on university operations. Twelve people in the School of Journalism received an email that read in part, “You are receiving this message because your fall appointment was entered into the payroll entry system after the payroll entry cut-off…(We're experiencing delays with some payroll entry items that we can only guess is due to the strike.)”

The University is experiencing delays in the delivery of goods and services as unionized delivery drivers honor AFSCME's picket lines at loading docks.

Hunger Strike

At a Sept. 13 student solidarity rally, Isaac Kamola read statement on behalf of students. It read in part:

“The administration's treatment of the AFSCME workers represents a future of economic injustice and inequality. The administration's offer is not only unfair, it violates the inherent hu