Oct. 25, 2003: Strike is felt at U

On paper, they are supervisor and employee. But in the tiny enterprise that Jan DeGross and Jennifer Syverson run at the University of Minnesota, they are partners. So it was odd and painful this week when they saw each other outside the Carlson School of Management each morning.

They smiled and greeted one another. One went inside to work. The other stayed outside to wave a picket sign. And half of the full-time staff that produces one of the leading academic journals in its field was missing.

"God, I miss her," DeGross said.

Although the clerical workers strike that started Tuesday may not have shut down the university, the impact has been felt. Some of the problems, like stalled deliveries by truck drivers who refused to cross picket lines, have been solved by having managers drive trucks headed for the university.

Ed Kimmel, director of University Stores, said things were moving fairly smoothly by Friday.

"Am I having fun? No," he said, laughing. "But it's not as bad as a root canal."

Vending machines on campus haven't been refilled as promptly as normal. People in many departments are feeling the stress of doing double duty to cover the jobs of strikers. The West Bank bursar's office, one of three such offices that handle financial transactions with students and faculty members on the Twin Cities campus, closed for the duration of the strike after about half of the cashiers walked out. Remaining offices on the East Bank and in St. Paul have been closing 90 minutes earlier than normal to make sure the people who are left can manage the work.

But the biggest impact may be in small units such as the office that publishes "MIS Quarterly," which DeGross described as one of the top journals in the management information systems field. The journal, which prints manuscripts submitted by faculty members at colleges around the world, is produced by DeGross, Syverson and two student workers. DeGross acts as managing editor, editing papers and managing the business side. Syverson "does everything I don't do," DeGross said.

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Academic lifesaver

If the journal sounds a little obscure, in its field it's not. Getting a paper printed in the quarterly can be key for young faculty members who are seeking tenure, which gives them a permanent faculty position. Between 300 and 400 manuscripts are submitted to the quarterly each year. Only about 24 papers are published.

"For some, it can be life and death in terms of their academic career," said DeGross.

Syverson is the grease that makes the quarterly's wheels spin. It can take two years for a paper to be published. Papers are reviewed by senior faculty around the world and repeatedly rewritten and resubmitted. Syverson coordinates it all, calming nervous authors who are sometimes in "sheer panic" to have their papers accepted in time for tenure review. She reminds tardy reviewers of their deadlines, making allowances for people who sometimes report they've fallen down stairs, gotten divorced or had a baby.

Most of her business is conducted by e-mail, but she has gotten to know people all over the globe, making Syverson part of what she calls a "whole other world out there." It's one benefit of working at a university, which she loves. "The `U' has an atmosphere you can't get anywhere else," she said.

No one else knows how to do her job. The December issue of the journal is done, but only three papers have been approved to run in March. Meanwhile, this is the time of year that universities start tenure review, and some young faculty members are still waiting to hear if their papers will appear in the journal. According to DeGross and Syverson, being able to say that a paper has been accepted to the quarterly can made all the difference in a tenure review.

Syverson is firm in her commitment to the strike and boosted by DeGross' support of her choice to walk out. ("If I had been able to join the union, I would have," said DeGross.) Syverson said AFSCME workers work hard and deserve to be paid more.

For her, the university's refusal to offer clerical workers a contract that includes step increases - automatic raises that come on an employee's anniversary date - is key. "I am very upset about that," she said.

She plans to stay out "for as long as it takes."

"There are ways to survive," Syverson said. "Jan and I have the kind of relationship that should exist across campus. I feel very lucky, and I feel supported.

"But I am torn, strictly on a personal level. This is a strike."

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Mary Jane Smetanka is at smetan@startribune.com.