Solidarity

On August 19, the GLU Executive Board sent a letter to University administrators expressing our strong solidarity with Teamsters. Below, find guidance on how you can support Teamsters during their strike. 

What are their main issues?

• UMN refuses to offer annual raises of more than 1.5% – despite negotiating an annual pay raise of at least 3.5% for all GLU-UE members.
• UMN refuses to agree to strong anti-harassment language with full arbitration rights, despite agreeing to this in other campus union contracts.
• UMN has proposed a 10.2% healthcare hike that would wipe out wage gains for many Teamster workers.
• Teamsters reports that in UMN’s food service operation in the Twin Cities, discipline cases have risen by 96%. Women, and women of color in particular, receive disproportionate discipline. 

Teamsters should not be treated differently than other unionized workers on campus.

How can GLU members stand in solidarity with Teamsters?

Sign and share this letter to President Cunningham. The more people she hears from, the more pressure there is for the U to come back to the bargaining table with meaningful changes. 

Join a picket line near you, and wear your GLU gear. Picket locations include:

• Duluth: Big tent at Kirby Dr and W. College St. (near sign and statue)
• Crookston: Valley Technology Park
• Twin Cities:
  • COMO – Corner of Como Ave and 29th Ave SE
  • SUPERBLOCK – Superblock courtyard
  • COFFMAN – Lawn by Coffman South Entrance
  • HEALTH SCIENCE – Washington Ave Lightrail Station
  • NORTH CAMPUS – Corner of 6th Street SE and 23rd Ave SE
  • EAST BANK – Northrop West Lawn near Arlington St and Pleasant St SE
  • WEST BANK – Entrance to Heller Hall
  • SAINT PAUL – Corner of Buford Ave and Eckles Ave (across the street from Saint Paul Student Center)

Don’t cross the picket line

Teamsters have not released guidance with specific requests on how to not cross the picket line, but we will update membership if they do. Here is some general guidance: 

• To the greatest extent possible, do not do the work of Teamsters employees. For example, if a Teamster member normally takes out the trash or cleans your office or lab, let it get messy! The point of a strike is to be disruptive. 
• If you are asked by your supervisor to do something a Teamster normally does, only do absolutely essential duties (e.g., cleaning animal cages or feeding animals to ensure they survive). This time should count towards your work hours; if you spend 3 hours doing work a Teamster normally does, that’s 3 hours less for your regular work. We want to make sure the message comes through as clearly as possible – the work our Teamsters colleagues do is essential!