Contract Updates

U of M AFSCME Locals 326-, 3800, 3801, and 3937 had their third round of negotiations. Mary Austin, president of the technical unit, gives a report from their day of bargaining.

Four thousand front-line University of Minnesota workers, members of AFSCME Locals 3260, 3800, 3801, and 3937, and Teamsters Local 320, start negotiations this month for our 2017-2019 contract. Our priorities are to make real economic progress, especially for long-term workers and those nearing retirement, to win six weeks paid parental leave for all parents regardless of gender, to expand education benefits, and to ensure respect for our workers and the contributions we make to the University.

After an incredible contract campaign that won key demands from the University Administration, we counted our members' ballots last night on whether to accept the tentative agreement. The members of AFSCME Local 3800 and Local 3801 (Clerical, UMD) voted by majority to ratify the Tentative Agreement for 2015-2017.

On Tuesday, September 29, our bargaining team met with management for the seventh round of negotiations. Our members joined the negotiations session to give their personal testimonies in support of our top four negotiation priorities: 1} dignified wages; 2} parental leave equity; 3} restoration of the Regent’s Scholarship; and 4} addressing workplace bullying. We left the bargaining table with one small agreement but did not move further on other negotiations and are now moving to mediation.