University Teamsters voting on tentative contract

Members of Teamsters Local 320 employed at the University of Minnesota are voting on a tentative contract settlement that includes a 2 percent wage increase and six weeks of paid maternity leave.

Members are voting by mail, with ballots to be counted Dec. 21, the union said. The Local 320 contract covers some 1,100 custodial, food service, animal and land care workers at the university’s campuses in the Twin Cities, Duluth, Morris and Crookston and at other university facilities.

“By standing with AFSCME, we showed the university that it’s no longer business as usual,” the union said in a statement. “We showed the university that frontline workers at the university are ready to fight for a fair contract.”

Actions included numerous rallies and pickets, a petition campaign and a forum where workers outlined their concerns to state legislators.

The union said these are the basic terms of the agreement:

• A 2 percent cost-of-living adjustment across the board in each year of the contract;
• Substantial market adjustments for electricians, and for lab animal attendants;
• All increases retroactive to June 15, 2015;
• Six weeks of paid parental leave for birth mothers;
• No increase in the cost of health insurance;
• An augmentation for the carpet mounted extraction crew; and,
• An agreement to form a Labor-Management Committee to discuss some operational practices, including team cleaning, that are a concern for many members.

Meanwhile, negotiations continue between the university and AFSCME, the union representing clerical and technical workers. Their next bargaining session is scheduled for Thursday.