Live: Teamsters strike at the University of Minnesota could stretch through the weekend

Hundreds of University of Minnesota workers picketed at campuses across the state on Wednesday.

More than 1,400 U service workers are on strike after the Teamsters Local 320 voted down the U’s final offer in contract negotiations. This is the first strike since the union’s creation at the U in the 1970s.

Follow live updates below:

5:20 p.m. - The U said it has received “extremely concerning” reports of some picketers’ actions threatening “the community’s safety.”

The U said picketers verbally threatened to report temporary workers to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) if they worked during the strike. And in Minneapolis, picketers blocked deliveries of essential supplies to M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center, the U said.

The U said, in Duluth on Tuesday, a Teamsters leader was seen in security videos smashing a sign on a vehicle, and they were issued two citations for disorderly conduct and for interfering with the use of a public roadway. The “unacceptable actions” “will not be tolerated,” the U said.

- Erin Adler

Teamsters members said they were blocking a truck from crossing the picket line to enter a parking lot near Frontier Hall. A video one worker shared showed police pushing protesters out of the way and detaining one person. The Teamsters said one person was hospitalized with injuries.

Officers “came through the crowd just slamming people and pushing people,” said one Teamsters member, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation.

- Tyler Church and Sofia Barnett

2:15 p.m. - Over the years, some people have accused the U of "bloated” administrative costs. Now, critics of the U’s latest budget have cited the hiring of a new vice president for strategic initiatives, with a salary of $395,000 plus $275,000 in deferred compensation over the next five years — the 12th such vice president at the U. A 13th vice president was approved in June, but that was a promotion in title only, a U spokesperson said.

A May 2025 annual review of senior leader compensation from the U’s human resources office says 31 U employees were paid more than $300,000 in base salary.

– Erin Adler

2:05 p.m. - Teamsters union members at the Twin Cities campuses are predominately women and people of color, said Gus Froemke, communications director for Teamsters Local 320. Starting in June 2023, every Teamster position began at $20 per hour. That is the same minimum wage as clerical, technical and health care workers who are represented by the AFSCME union. Comparatively, Law Enforcement Labor Services start wages at $34.96. The new graduate student union minimum wage rate was $27.

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

1:33 p.m. - Gus Froemke, communications director for Teamsters Local 320, said the strike will likely go over the weekend.

“The longer this goes, the closer we could get to sitting down,” he said.

It is not clear how long those benefits could last for the more than 1,400 employees currently striking.

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

1:20 p.m. - University of Minnesota President Rebecca Cunningham said earlier this summer before the Board of Regents approved a budget with 7% in academic cuts that the U must be “diligent in efforts to limit expenses” and “thoughtful in formulating new strategies that prioritize our core mission.” The U will have to focus even more on finding new revenue streams, she added.

The budget allots $15 million for the U’s new strategic plan, expected to be complete in November or December, and $60 million for strategic investments. It also sets aside one-time money to support research as federal support declines.

The U also announced a new $200 athletics fee this year for Twin Cities students. It comes as the athletics budget is nearly $9 million short. The Gophers athletic department will distribute $20.5 million to athletes this school year after the House v. NCAA settlement cleared schools to pay athletes directly for the first time in history.

12:52 p.m. Many fellow union and community members have vowed to stand by the Teamsters throughout their strike at the University of Minnesota. Anthony Taylor-Gouge, a member of the U’s AFSCME 3800 union, stood alongside Teamsters as they picketed on University Avenue.

At a picket held last night, Taylor-Gouge said the support he saw was immense.

“There was at least 300 Teamsters members and 300 more supporters,” Taylor-Gouge said. “Faculty, members of other unions, students. I’d say it was the biggest picket line I’ve seen in Minneapolis since 2022.”

Taylor-Gouge and other members of the picket line added that they’ve received strong support from students on campus so far, describing interactions with students as “overwhelmingly positive.”

- Tyler Church

New unions have recently formed at the U as well as at colleges and universities across Minnesota.

At the U, medical residents and graduate students have each debuted new unions within the last two years. A 2024 change in state law opened the door for new unions to form at the U. Graduate students signed their first contract last January; it was their sixth attempt to start a union there, with efforts dating back to the 1970s. Their 3,000 to 4,000 members joined forces with the United Electrical Workers, a national union.

The Committee of Interns and Residents is a union that formed during the summer; its 1,000 members joined SEIU Healthcare, a Minnesota and Iowa-based union.

–Erin Adler

12:06 p.m. Two men in red Teamsters shirts grilled burgers to add to a lunch spread on College Street near an entrance to UMD. The smell carried at least a block. Connie Westlund, a business secretary for Teamsters Local 320 said they’ve been inviting students to stop by. She said they saw a Frito Lay truck on campus earlier.

She said the workers have had support from Teamsters General Local 346 and the Minnesota Nurses Association.

- Christa Lawler

11:40 a.m. - Students piled into the University of Minnesota’s common spaces, where students and visitors are encouraged to clean up after themselves since custodial services have been reduced during the strike.

- Tyler Church

11:38 a.m. - Outside Kirby Student Center at UMD, Deann Butler said administrators need to feel the service workers’ absence.

“It’s unfortunate the students have to pay for that,” she said.

Xavier Shepler, a union steward, student and food service worker started picketing at 3:45 a.m. on Wednesday. He said 99% of people who interact with them offer a wave, thumbs up or fist bump.

“I’m excited to be out here,” he said. “The only way we have of bringing lasting change is to bring the community’s attention to this.”

- Christa Lawler

11:24 a.m. - Gus Froemke, communications director for Teamsters Local 320, said he is seeing heavy picket lines at every location the union has asked members to man.

At several campuses including the Twin Cities, deliveries have been reduced or halted, Froemke said.

“We have the right to stop trucks,” he said. “We have them roll down the window and then we ask if they’re a supervisor or a member of the Teamsters union. If they are a member, we inform them they have the right to not cross the picket line, and they have been turning back and leaving.”

If the delivery driver is a supervisor, Froemke said, the picketer lets them through. He said he has not heard of any Teamsters crossing the picket line.

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

11:20 a.m. - At Lind Hall on the Twin Cities campus, students said dining looked very different.

Freshman Alyssa Pandya said dining options were limited. “They had paper plates yesterday,” and some stations were closed. The friends said they later headed to the Starbucks in Lind Hall, only to find it closed.

A lot of other students hadn’t noticed anything or even knew a strike was going on.

- Sofia Barnett

11:17 a.m. - UMD junior Davin Lindh ate Old Dutch potato chips from a vending machine to tide him over until he went home from school. He and Remington Espanet were in a near-empty Plaza Food Court around lunchtime. Gates were closed, food stands unmanned. Lindh said he ordinarily eats on campus three days a week.

“I wouldn’t mind a burger right now,” Espanet said.

Outside the Kirby Student Center, more than a dozen workers in neon shirts chanted “no money, no food, pay us our dues!”

- Christa Lawler

11:15 a.m. - The Bureau of Mediation Services has been working with the U and the Teamsters since June 10. The bureau provides a neutral, third party to help the two parties come to an agreement.

Commissioner Johnny Villarreal said this is not the first time mediation services has been called by the U or the Teamsters.

At this point, Villarreal said the two mediators assigned to the case are calling both the Teamsters and the U daily to try and get them back to the bargaining table.

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

11:10 a.m. - The U is facing tight finances. Officials said flat funding from the state and declining federal support for research forced the budget cuts and tuition increases approved in June. Accounting for inflation, the U is receiving the same amount from the Legislature as last year, which is a 3% to 4% decrease. And losses due to cuts in federal grant funding at the U have now topped $40 million, officials said.

This summer, the U announced the closure and sale of its Les Bolstad Golf Course, putting it up for sale because the historic 140-acre course in Falcon Heights isn’t bringing in enough money to allow for extensive repairs.

– Erin Adler

10:44 a.m. - UMD junior Johnny Cummings said he worked in food service last year and knows some of the people picketing, a move that has been coming for months. He’s sympathetic to the cause.

Cummings lives across the street from a gathering site for picketers and said he has heard lots of honking in support.

- Christa Lawler

10:12 a.m. - The Teamsters were on the brink of striking in August, just before students moved into dorms on campus, but instead, they stayed on the job while contract negotiations continued. The Teamsters’ last contract ended on June 30 but is extended until a new one is reached.

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

9:50 a.m. - Ten union members gathered at University and 15th avenues SE. Students mostly walked by them, but one woman stopped to thank them and praise unions.

Harvat also said the U wants their contract to end in December now, instead of at the end of the fiscal year in June. It’s harder to strike in the winter, he said.

- Erin Adler

9:45 a.m. - Tensions between the U’s administration and the staff and faculty have been rising this year.

In March, the U’s Board of Regents passed a resolution limiting “institutional speech” — who can officially speak for the U and what issues they can address. Some faculty opposed it, saying it limits academic freedom and speech. It came after two dozen state lawmakers had requested that statements, several of which were pro-Palestine, be removed from the U’s website. After the resolution was passed, administrators removed references to the Hamas-Israel conflict and the Ukraine war from the U’s website.

Then a new provost — the U’s second-in-command — was chosen with little community input. And this summer, some faculty protested budget cuts that they said will lead to fewer instructors; 300 jobs will be cut across the U’s five campuses, officials said. Some faculty accused the U of “administrative bloat” with excessive administrative costs despite the cuts to academics. Critics pointed to $60 million for strategic investments — a one-time allotment — and $15 million in recurring expenses for strategic investments, as evidence of bloat.

9:40 a.m. - Teamsters member Grady Johnson, who set up a tent behind Northrop Auditorium, said the turnout has been strong, and many people also showed up last night at the superblock.

“Spirits are high, people are pretty happy,” said Johnson, a U gardener and strike captain for the union, as well as a union steward. “We’ve got people all over campus.”

- Erin Adler

9:37 a.m. - Delivery driver Daniel Sanchez Ikda stood outside the U Market Services building on 29th Avenue SE holding a University of Minnesota flag. He was picketing with a handful of other Teamsters.

“I want to show the university that we’re hard workers and deserve fair income,” he said.

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

9:26 a.m. - AFSCME and its members were showing support this morning with Caribou coffee and doughnuts. The Teamsters had strike captains at several locations, including Jon Dehning who was stationed next to the printing center he works at on Como Avenue.

His main concern in negotiations has been the university’s suggestion to end the Teamsters contract in October or December instead of June.

“We are out here letting the university know that we will not accept a half-year contract,” Dehning said. “When they first proposed that in March, we told them we would never, ever accept that. It has still always been on every pass or every part of negotiations that they’ve given us.”

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

The bookstore was still open, though, and students ate quietly on the lower level. A vending machine with sandwiches and salads was nearly empty.

“It’s quieter, I think,” said Maria Popova, an undergraduate student studying economics, as she ate a vending machine salad.

Upstairs, a student played the piano and others sat looking at their phones or laptops. Angelina Lim, a freshman, just found out about the strike this morning and said there’s “less bustle” at Coffman.

“People should stand up for what they believe in,” she said of the strike.

– Erin Adler

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

9:02 a.m. - Drivers, including university vans, honked their support for picketers on Como Avenue at the Twin Cities campus. A dozen union members had been on the corner outside of the Collections Facility since 5:30 a.m.

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

8:55 a.m. - Justin Rodin, a cook at Coffman’s Panda Express, said dining service employees are the lowest paid workers at the U.

“It’s time that the university start to respect its service workers more,” he said, adding that service workers have been neglected while top executives receive bloated salaries.

8:40 a.m. - Eighteen union members were gathered by the East River Road parking ramp, listening to Michael Jackson and carrying various signs, some reading “End Poverty Wages at UMN.”

Some had been there since 4:30 a.m., said April Barfknecht, who has been a cook at Coffman for 17 years.

“It’s going good. We’ve got a lot more people coming out [throughout the day],” she said. The workers said they like gathering at building docks to get the maximum exposure to traffic.

They yelled: “No contract, no peace.”

“We have to let [the cars] in, but we don’t have to let them in right away,” said Gus Froemke, recording secretary for Teamsters Local 320.

- Erin Adler

8:37 a.m. - The tense contract negotiations come as the U grapples with financial challenges.

In June, the Board of Regents approved next year’s budget with steep tuition hikes and cuts to academic programs despite concerns from some students, faculty and staff that it will lead to fewer students and instructors. The $5.1 billion budget, which passed on a 9-3 vote, includes a 7% cut to academics and raises tuition by 6.5% for undergraduate, in-state students attending the Twin Cities campus. That’s the biggest hike in 14 years for the flagship campus. U leaders have pointed to flat funding from the state and declining federal support for research.

- Erin Adler

8:25 a.m. - Union members on the Twin Cities campus were using chalk to spread their messages to students. Outside Pioneer Hall, some students stopped to read the chalk while others passed over it. The chalk encourages University of Minnesota community workers to ask questions and say hello to Teamsters members who are picketing.

8:20 a.m. - More than a dozen union members and community supporters are picketing outside Frontier Hall on the Twin Cities campus. David Gilbert-Pederson was previously an organizing director for AFSCME and came out to support the workers Wednesday morning. He has previously been in union negotiations with the university.

“One of the most well resourced institutions in our state is prioritizing aesthetics and sports over the frontline workers who make the university run every day,” he said.

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

8:18 a.m. - Under a tent behind Coffman, several protesters are welcoming fellow union members.

“Everybody’s been showing up and signing in and grabbing signs,” said Sara Parcells, a building and ground worker at Coffman.

– Erin Adler

8:17 a.m. - How long will the strike last?

Gus Froemke, director of communications for the Teamsters, said the union is willing to come back to the negotiating table if the university is prepared to give them the same wage increase and length of contract as other unions.

The strike, which began late Monday night, does not have a timeline and is the first Teamsters strike since the union was founded in the 1970s.

David Larson, professor of labor law at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, said the strike comes at a precarious time for higher education. Limitations and changes in federal funding based on the Trump administration changes the negotiations, Larson said.

Mediations could begin at any time, he said. Either way, Larson said there will be a natural conclusion to the negotiations. For now, however, it’s a waiting game.

“It comes down to who could weather the storm best,” he said. “Either the workers are going to say ‘I can’t afford to be on strike any longer,’ or the university is going to feel the pressure and make greater concessions.”

– Eleanor Hildebrandt

8:05 a.m. - Eight protesters carrying signs gathered behind Coffman Memorial Union and in front of Comstock Hall as a few cars honked in support. The protestors, who had chairs set up on the grass, said they are a mix of custodians from Comstock and Smith halls, and Coffman Union.

- Erin Adler

“We’re not asking for the moon here and we’re really close to a deal,” she said. “It’s not unreasonable; it’s 3.5%.”

O’Connor said she is proud of her colleagues, especially last night when she saw “never-ending signs” at the beginning of the strike. The one thing the Teamsters still need, she said, is restrooms for the picketers.

- Eleanor Hildebrandt

7:22 a.m. - Chants of “support U of M workers” can be heard outside Centennial Hall as a group of Teamsters shout at passing cars for support on Delaware Street.

Albert Curtis, who has worked in facilities management for 37 years, said he picked the spot for visibility. For him, the strike is about the newer and younger U employees.

Bethel Tsegaye works as a janitor at Centennial Hall. She started picketing at 6 a.m. Tsegaye believes the university isn’t giving workers a living wage.

“We got the president out here making millions,” she said of U President Rebecca Cunningham. ”She can’t give up a little bit of money?”

- Eleanor Hildebrandt

7:06 a.m. - The picket lines started early outside Centennial and Pioneer halls on the University of Minnesota campus in Minneapolis, with union members arriving at 6 a.m. Wednesday. Teamsters members are joined by American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, who are also currently negotiating contracts with the university.

- Eleanor Hildebrandt

They chanted that workers were understaffed, underpaid and working under an unfair contract. The strike will affect about 900 workers on the campus.

- Elliot Hughes