Members of Teamsters Local 320, a worker’s union chapter based out of Minneapolis, organized in front of Morrill Hall early last week to announce they will be seeking contract negotiations for better work conditions again.

Teamsters began the renegotiation process for worker contracts March 27.

Service workers from different University of Minnesota campuses attended the rally, which lasted roughly an hour, to speak on the goals they hope to achieve during contract negotiations.

Xavier Shepler, a student and food service worker who traveled from UMN-Duluth to speak at the event, said that lending his voice for those who could not make the trip represents the greater goal of a union.

“In a union, we all stand together, there’s strength through numbers, strength through having a common voice and working towards a common goal,” Shepler said.

One of the new goals the union is seeking to gain is a par rate increase for shift differential.

Shift differential is a higher wage rate for working hours outside of the typical working hours, such as night shifts, weekends and holidays. Teamsters said the rate for the University only adds 55 cents per hour.

“I feel like that number is way out of date in general, so that’s something, for me, that is important,” Shepler said. “It’s difficult to wake up super early or to stay super late and have to give that time to be here.”

As of 2022, Teamsters represented over 1,500 union workers across the University’s five campuses. Amy Perusse, a business agent for Teamsters 320, said those numbers and the community they have fostered is the reason they have so much power as a group.

“The only way we can have living-wage jobs for everyone else is if we stand together,” Perusse said. “That‘s what a union does for me – it allows me to have a home and food on my table. That’s what we’re fighting for for these workers.”

Several other union University groups spoke in solidarity with the Teamsters, including the University’s chapters of the Graduate Labor Union and American Association of University Professors (AAUP).

Speaking to the crowd, Vice President of AAUP’s Twin Cities chapter Heather Holcombe said Teamster plays an important role at the University.

“Would it make a difference in your day, if Provost Croson was in her office today?” Holcombe said in her speech. “It would not make a difference – none of us would know. But I can say with certainty that, if buildings and maintenance didn’t show up today, we would all know. We would know if our sidewalks were icy, we would know if our classrooms were dark.”

Alston Dutchin, now retired, was a member of the Teamsters for 41 years, 20 of which he served on the union’s executive board. He said that he attended Tuesday’s rally in solidarity, to give back what the organization had given to him during his time as a member.

“The union has done a lot for me,” Dutchin said. “Raises, vacation, sick time, my pension. We fought hard for that.”

Lead negotiator Jackson Kerr said he worries the University may use the threats of funding cuts by the Trump administration as an excuse to turn down the deal. In the scenario where the negotiation process stagnates and the University does not comply with demands, Kerr said the union would consider a strike vote.

However, Kerr said he is no stranger to dealing with conflicts against the University. In his time, he said he’s had the police on him four times.

Despite the conflicts, Kerr said the ultimate goal is for all University employees to feel respect and dignity in their workplaces.

“If you treat your workers respectfully, you get respect back,” Kerr said.