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U of M service workers union urges ‘no’ vote on university’s ‘final’ offer • Minnesota Reformer [1]
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Date: 2025-08-21
The union representing more than 1,400 University of Minnesota service workers is urging its members to vote “no” on the university’s “last, best and final” offer, raising the likelihood of a strike as students begin the fall semester.
The Teamsters Local 320 filed their intent to strike earlier this month with the support of 97% of their members, including cooks, groundskeepers, custodians and other service workers. That triggered a 10-day cooling off period with state-mandated mediation, which failed to yield a deal.
The university presented its final offer at 1 a.m. Tuesday, which the union is required to take to its members for a vote.
Workers will vote on the proposal by mail and in person over the next week, with votes to be counted the day the university’s offer expires on Sept. 5. In the event that members follow their union leaders’ cue and reject the offer, workers could head to the picket lines or decide to go back to the negotiating table.
The university’s offer includes $1,000 bonuses over the next two years, 5% wage increases, and additional market adjustments ranging from 0.5% to 2% depending on the job and seniority. The proposal also includes pay increases for shifts that begin early in the morning or end late at night.
The average unionized service worker makes $26.11 per hour, according to the union.
The offer is silent on health care premiums, which are slated to rise around 10% across the university in the coming year. The union wants to limit those increases, which would eat into the wage gains.
“Health care is a big deal for our membership and it’s why a lot of our members work at the university,” said Jackson Kerr, business agent and lead negotiator for Teamsters Local 320. “When the university raises health care costs, Teamsters feel it the most because we represent the lowest paid workers.”
University of Minnesota spokesman Joe Linstroth noted the university pays 78% of medical coverage costs for employees and that other public employers may increase costs by as much as 22% next year. The university’s proposed premium increases would cost a single employee about $7-$10 more per month and an employee with dependents about $30-$40 more per month.
Federal budget cuts and rising costs have strained university budgets across the country, leading the University of Minnesota’s Board of Regents to approve the largest tuition hike in over a decade while cutting spending by 7% on academics, student services and research.
“The union and broader university community are aware of the financial challenges that higher education faces in the near and long term. The university is not immune to those challenges,” a spokesperson for the university said in a statement following the strike authorization vote.
The university had sought to bypass seniority and pay new hires higher wages than current staff in the same position; that was a nonstarter for the union, and the university dropped it. The university previously turned to gig workers to fill open dining services positions, paying people with no experience 35% more per hour than full-time staff with years of service.
Service workers at the university also authorized a strike three years ago, but called it off after reaching an agreement that raised the minimum hourly wage from $15 to $20.
In announcing their intention to strike, the union boasted of its large strike fund that would allow its members — many living paycheck-to-paycheck — to forgo wages and walk the picket line in the event of a protracted strike. The International Brotherhood of Teamsters approved enhanced strike benefits for University of Minnesota members of $1,000 per week, which exceeds the weekly pay of many members, the union said.
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[1] Url:
https://minnesotareformer.com/2025/08/21/u-of-m-service-workers-union-urges-no-vote-on-universitys-final-offer/
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