U of M students won't face strikers on first day of class
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(AP) - Clerical, technical and health care workers won't be on strike when University of Minnesota students return to class on Tuesday, but there's no guarantee about Wednesday.
However, Jan Johnson, with the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services, said both sides want to avoid a strike and are willing to return to the negotiating table.
"We're just trying to find a day when everybody can make it back," Johnson said. "Both parties are willing."
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees represents about 3,500 clerical, health care and technical workers. It has filed a 10-day notice to strike.
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However, the law requires that the 10th day of the cooling-off period be a day other than a Saturday, Sunday or a holiday. That means the 10th day can't be Labor Day, so any strike couldn't start before Wednesday, the second day of classes.
Last week, the union rejected an offer in which clerical and technical workers would receive cost-of-living increases of 2.25 percent for each of the two years of the contract, and health care workers would receive 2.5 percent raises each year.
AFSCME leaders said that once inflation was figured in, its university workers were making about 5 percent less than they were in 1994. They said accepting the offer would only make the deficit grow.
"We cannot become a top research university if we continue to keep staff wages far below inflation," Barb Bezat, president of the local representing the technical workers, said in a prepared statement. "Unless the annual (contract) increase is above the rate of inflation, we're not getting a raise, we're taking a pay cut."
University officials said they were willing to continue talks with the union, even though a strike on the first day of classes won't happen.
"Although it's a blow to the theatrics the union had hoped for, it doesn't change the fact that a strike during the first days of class will be disruptive to students, faculty and staff," said university spokesman Dan Wolter. "This strike is completely avoidable, and the university is ready and willing to continue discussions with the union to prevent one."
(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
