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Minnesota staff begins strike

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Also by Cassie Kornblau:

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by Cassie Kornblau

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Clerical, technical and health care workers at the University of Minnesota went on strike Tuesday, disrupting the campus routine on the second day of classes.

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Union, representing more than 3,500 employees on the U of M campus, walked off the job because they failed to receive salaries which kept up with inflation.

"The university has chosen to impoverish some of its workers," said Barb Bezat, president of AFSCME Technical Local 3937 in a release. "Now is the time to avert a strike and start the school year off right by paying us fair wages that keep up with inflation. It won't break the U's $1.5 billion operating budget."

According to a release by AFSCME, this summer members overwhelmingly voted to reject the university's offer on their wages — a 2.25 percent increase for clerical and technical workers, and a 2.5 percent increase for health care workers — and planned to authorize a strike.

AFSCME said the proposed raise would mean only $850 a year for a typical union worker, who on average earns $34,000.

"While our paychecks shrink, top administrators are enjoying huge raises," said Phyllis Walker, president of Clerical Local 3800 in a release.

Denise Osterholm, president of U of M-Duluth Local 3801, said in a release it would take $1.1 million to offer workers an additional 1 percent increase.

"If the university can't do that, then it's looking to break our union," Osterholm said.

U of M freshman Caleb Durenberger said a lot of people were carrying signs in groups of four and five around campus, and many students also had signs to support the workers.

Durenberger said traffic was fairly average and disruption was kept to a minimum.

Paula Rabinowitz, chair of the English department and professor at U of M, said she chose to hold class off campus at the University Baptist Church — the strike center for the local AFSCME — because she refuses to cross the picket line.

"As a faculty member I feel a responsibility to teach my class as part of the university," Rabinowitz said. "But I will do it off campus because it tells the students I respect the picket line, and I refuse to cross it."

Rabinowitz said the themes in her classes can be related to the strike, and she will teach her large lecture class tomorrow from the pulpit in the sanctuary like she did four years ago.

"The message is we are part of an institution, an institution works because workers work, and they are not exempt from the system," Rabinowitz said. "[Students] are part of history, and they are part of producing changes and should experience this."

As of press time, the U of M was unavailable for comment.

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