Teamsters' Salary Negotiations

The Teamsters Local 320 oversee and serve the University of Minnesota community. As of Fall 2022, more than 1,500 service workers at the U were a part of the Teamsters Union.

Discussions on the concerns of the Teamsters became public knowledge on September 26th when the Teamsters authorized a vote to strike pending upcoming contract negotiations.

In October 2022, the Teamsters began protesting against their poor work conditions and "poverty wages". On September 30, they marched in the Homecoming Parade holding posters with testimonies of their employees depicting the impacts their working conditions have had on their lives.

On October 7, the U released a statement regarding the teamsters threats to strike, villainizing them for wanting a livable wage.

By October 10, the Teamsters had voted on approving a strike if their demands were not met by UMN leadership.

On October 14, the U sent out a threatening email to all university employees (service, professors, student employees, etc.) threatening repercussions for any non-teamsters to refuse to work if the strike went through. The email also noted that any previously approved time off requests would need to be re-submitted and re-evaluated otherwise termination of their employment could ensue.

In a proactive attempt to alleviate the problems students would encounter in the event of their strike, the Teamsters developed and published a website outlining how students can navigate the loss of work force. It was clear the Teamsters felt bad that students would be most impacted by the decision to strike and wanted to aid them in this transition period. The students announced they supported the Teamsters decision.

In preparation for the strike, the U opened contracting with Chefs on the Fly- a temp agency from outside the state of Minnesota. The U would pay for their transportation into the state, as well as their lodging expenses while here. ADDITIONALLY, they would be making more per hour than the teamsters asked for in their salary demands. The U pays short-term gig workers more than they pay long-term employees with developed skill sets (see November 2022 article here)

After multiple days of mediation, a tentative agreement was reached on October 22nd, and the tentative agreement was published on the 24th, outlined here.

Additional concerns that employees at the U have discussed involved Sviggum's diversity comments and how they represent an even greater negative culture on campus, as well as concerns that custodial workers have filed about being threatened to not call campus security when they witness crime.

This event was covered nationally, with Bernie Sanders chiming in as well.