Teamsters at University of Minnesota file strike notice
Minneapolis, MN – On Thursday August 7, around 1400 facilities and dining workers at the University of Minnesota filed an intent to strike notice with the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services. The strike notice comes after the recent announcement of a 97% vote to authorize the strike.
The workers are represented by Teamsters Local 320. Teamsters have approved strike benefits for the Teamsters at the U which would offer $1000 per week that the workers are on strike. The strike would occur across all five University of Minnesota campuses, including the large Twin Cities campus. The workers who would be striking include building cleaners, workers who service dormitories, do maintenance of grounds, maintain HVAC systems, care for research animals and drive trucks, among other duties.
The Teamsters say that they are striking because the university has failed to address key issues in bargaining, as well as low wage scales and cuts to benefits. The Teamsters contract with the university expired on June 30.
No deal was reached before expiration and the university is currently offering amounts to a two-and-half-year contract, including raises of 2.5% in the first year and 1% in the second year. At the same time as offering only 3.5% over the length of the contract, the university is proposing a 10% increase in healthcare costs for the workers, which would mean that for many workers the pay increases would not keep up with the cost increases for healthcare; the ultimate impact would in effect be a pay decrease for the workers. The university also wants the right to pay new hires higher pay rates than long-term workers who do the same jobs.
Christy O’Connor is a senior building and grounds worker who has worked at the university for 26 years. O’Connor said, “Our pay isn’t keeping up with inflation and many of us are forced to work multiple jobs,” adding, “We are struggling to support our families, but after months at the bargaining table, UMN is only offering us tiny raises that barely offset the big increases in healthcare costs that UMN expects us to pay.”
The Teamsters have also said that the university has been unwilling to deal with harassment of their members in food services, which is run by Chartwells Higher Ed, which is a subsidiary of the Compass Group. According to the university’s own data, disciplines increased by 96% over a two-year period between 2022 and 2024. The data also shows that while only 40% of the workforce in dining services are women, the majority of suspensions and firings have been targeted at women workers. Since the year 2000, Compass Group has paid out nearly $35 million in fines and penalties, including $9.6 million in employment-related offenses and $843,755 in penalties for employment discrimination.
Christina Magee has been a food service worker on the Twin Cities campus for nine years and said, “Management in dining harasses a lot of workers, and we’ve brought it to UMN’s attention. This is a company that has been fined millions for discrimination and abuse across the U.S. But the university doesn’t seem to care and says we shouldn’t be able to file complaints against the vendor when it mistreats us.”
The strike could begin any time after August 20. Notably, the week beginning on August 25 is known at the university as “move-in week.” During move-in week the campus is buzzing with students attempting to move into dorms and returning to campus. The mix of jobs that the Teamsters do is in strong demand that week, as even on a good year the week is fast paced and chaotic. A strike is likely to have a major impact on move-in week.