Workers with the University of Minnesota, represented by Teamsters Local 320, have announced that they will go on strike after months of negotiations with the college failed.
The group cited the university's refusal to "address workers' concerns, including chronic understaffing, poverty wages, and discriminatory employment practices."
Now, service workers will enter a 10-day mediation period with the college in order to try and reach a contract. If they are unsuccessful, 1,500 employees will go on strike as early as October 22.
If the strike occurs, it will severely impact operations at the U of M's campuses. Services such as dining, bathroom facilities, dormitories, waste collection, grounds, and more, would fall victim.
Workers picketed on student move-in day at the beginning of the school year to show the college that they meant business. Both sides expressed that they did not want to see a strike happen, but an agreement had to be met to prevent it.
Towfiq Hassen, a custodian at the University of Minnesota, shared in a statement from the union that there is nothing else they can do after months of a stalemate at the negotiating tables.
"We have done everything we can to avoid a strike and fight for a fair union contract, but UMN has refused to do its part and continues to pay us poverty wages and ignore our concerns over worsening working conditions," Hassen said. "We have children and families that we need to support, but many of my coworkers can't on our income alone. Even after the 5 years I dedicated to this university, doing my best to ensure UMN students have a campus they can be proud to attend, many of us are still struggling to survive."
The University has responded to the potential strike, saying that it made the union a new contract offer, but it does not seem to have been accepted.
"The University has been negotiating in good faith with Teamsters 320 leaders since June with the very best of intentions," the college said in a statement. "We want all of our union employees to feel valued and to earn market-rate pay for their work, while we make sound financial decisions on behalf of the University and the taxpayers of the state of Minnesota."
This story will be updated as more information becomes available.
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