U strike date is first day of class

By Jeff Shelman, Star Tribune

Last update: August 24, 2007 - 7:48 PM

For the second time in four years, the University of Minnesota may have to deal with striking workers. And this time a strike could come on the first day of school.

On Friday, clerical, health care and technical workers represented by AFSCME announced that they have rejected the U's latest contract offer and have filed a 10-day intent to strike notice with the state. If a deal can't be reached, union workers will walk off the job on Sept. 4, the first day of classes. About 3,500 workers on the U's campuses are covered under the contracts.

Union officials said that 72 percent of votes cast were for rejecting the university's offer and going on strike.

"Our goal is to get this settled; we're ready to go back to the table," said Barb Bezat, the president of the local representing technical workers.

The university offered cost-of-living wage increases of 2.25 percent for each of the two years of the contract for clerical and technical workers, according to union officials. Health care workers were offered 2.5 percent for each of the two years.

The university has said that when 2 percent "step increases" for experience are taken into account, salary increases are 4.25 percent each year for 94 percent of workers in negotiation. In addition, the union workers are not being asked to pay more for their health care benefits.

"We weren't going to ask our employees to take reductions in health care; we weren't going to pass on costs to them," university President Robert Bruininks said. "We have not asked them to make any of the sacrifices that many public and private organizations have asked of their employees on health care. So we think it's a very fair offer."

In 2003, clerical workers went on strike for two weeks. It was the first strike at the university in nearly 60 years. According to union officials, the average clerical worker at the university makes $16.10 per hour, or about $33,000 per year for a full-time employee.

On Friday, the university sent an e-mail to parents of students assuring them that "classes will begin as scheduled and normal operations of the University will continue."

Bruininks acknowledged that a first-day-of-school strike "would not be pleasant." He also said that the university would have to adjust its budgets if the AFSCME workers are given a larger contract.

"We would have to go back and make some appropriate adjustments to [other employee groups'] compensation," Bruininks said. "When you start to multiply the impact of this, the impact could be very great.

"The only way it could happen would be by cutting budgets and, inevitably, that means laying people off. I don't think it's a very good bargain and I'm not willing to enter into one that will weaken the university at this time."

Jeff Shelman • 612-673-7478

Jeff Shelman • jshelman@startribune.com

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