Picketing at U focuses on parental leave

Lack of parental leave was one focus of informational picketing Tuesday by workers at the University of Minnesota.

Members of AFSCME and the Teamsters have been in negotiations with the University since June. The unions are seeking:

• Six weeks of parental leave, comparable to that given to P&A staff and faculty. Currently, bargaining unit members have only two weeks for the birth or adoption of a child.
• Wage increases, including a starting wage of $15 an hour. The University has proposed increases of less than 1 percent.
• Full restoration of the Regents Scholarship to help workers pursue their education.
• An end to workplace bullying.

University employees marched in the rain outside Morrill Hall, the main administration building, under the banner, “University Unions United.”