Service workers at the University of Minnesota vote to authorize a strike

The union representing service workers at the University of Minnesota has authorized a strike, leaders announced Monday, noting that 93% of its members have voted in favor of the action.

The Teamsters Local 320 union sued the university and its Board of Regents last month over claims of inadequate pay and employee discrimination that allegedly have violated the Public Employment Labor Relations Act. The workers involved in the potential strike help all over campus to serve food, clean buildings, collect waste, provide general maintenance and more.

The Teamsters union voted last week, and the strike would involve 1,500 workers and affect more than 60,000 students at the U.

At a news conference Monday, Teamsters Local 320 Secretary and Treasurer Brian Aldes announced that the union will file its intent to strike Tuesday morning, and then begin a 10-day mediation period. If that period passes without successful negotiations, the strike could begin as soon as Oct. 22.

"I think they should strike, and every student that I've ever talked to here would stand with them," Maddy Stross, a freshman at the U, said. "We see the same people that work [in the dining halls] every single day ... and they don't get paid enough to be there 24/7."

The university said it has been negotiating with the union since June. In a message sent to faculty, staff and students on Friday, the U's Vice President for Human Resources Kenneth Horstman said the university has offered a pay raise that would increase the average starting wage for a Teamsters employee to $21.67 an hour.

"We want all of our union employees to feel valued and to earn market-rate pay for their work," Horstman said.

The union responded by saying this average pay raise would not keep up with inflation and would leave many workers with a wage below $20 an hour. The union rejected the proposal, which was the university's best and final offer.

Students said they have noticed the effects of staff shortages, including Lunchables served in the dining hall. Still, student Iqra Abdi thinks that a strike will affect students positively in the long run. If workers are paid more, she said, they will be more satisfied with their jobs and serve the community better.

University spokesman Jake Ricker noted the snacks, which were nearing their expiration date, were offered to students for free by a well-meaning employee, but not intended to replace their meals.

Aldes said he believes students will support the workers: "These are the folks that are responsible for the quality of life that students enjoy on the campuses."

Stross said that while she understands that students might face difficulties with an absence of service workers, most students in the end want the workers to be paid living wages.

Ben Vang, a sophomore, said he supports the workers but would also be worried about his own access to food in the dining hall.

"I'm hoping that [the strike] does happen, but I'm hoping that there will be food at the same time," Vang said.

The service workers at the U said they have been struggling with basic necessities, with 62% of union members reporting not being able to afford living expenses each month. Mick Kelly, a cook who has worked at the university for 20 years, said the workers are living in poverty.

"When we talk about poverty wages it's not a rhetorical device, it's a fact we are living," Kelly said at the news conference. "We have members who are homeless, we have members who are my age living in people's basements. That's the reality of work at the university right now."