by Christy O'Connor, Minnesota Local 320 Shop Steward
We defeated a bad contract that was pushed by our local president. Now we’re running for office in our local.
On a freezing Sunday afternoon in February, 14 members of Minnesota Local 320 gathered in a small room at the Eagles Lodge #34 to organize our contract campaign at the University of Minnesota.
Eight months later, we overwhelmingly rejected a concessionary contract, organized the first Teamster strike in University of Minnesota history, and won a contract that met our demands. It’s been quite a ride!
During negotiations, our own Local 320 president supported the weak contract that members rejected by 82% and was missing in action during our strike.
Teamsters deserve leaders who stand with us. That’s why we’re running in our local union election.
How We Started
Local 320 represents Teamsters on five different campuses at the University of Minnesota, including food service workers, custodians, groundskeepers, mechanics, maintenance, research lab workers, and waste management.
We knew the only way we would win a strong contract was to start organizing early.
We surveyed the members and identified their top issues, including wage increases, stronger protections against harassment, and increased shift differentials.
Every member was asked to sign a Contract Unity Pledge promising to stand united with our negotiating committee to win these core demands.
In the Eagles Lodge, Contract Action Team members practiced having conversations with our coworkers about the Contract Unity Pledge, and split up turf across our campuses.
Over the course of the spring, the Contract Action Team collected over 800 pledge cards and ran meetings across ten University departments, reaching 300 members.
We used these meetings to share updates from the bargaining table and prepare members for the possibility of a strike vote later in the summer.
We held regular Zoom calls and meetings for stewards to strengthen our network.
Getting Strike-Ready
The university played hardball at the bargaining table, offering low wage increases.
To increase our bargaining leverage, we held a strike authorization. The strike vote passed by 96%, with 70% turnout.
Our vote sent a clear message that members were ready to strike if we had to, but the university administration and our own union president weren’t listening.
After the strike vote, Contract Action Team volunteers evaluated the turnout in each department on every campus to increase our organization and strike-readiness even more.
We recruited stewards and member leaders to be strike captains to prepare for the possibility of a strike at the end of the summer.
Betrayal at the Bargaining Table
While members were organizing a credible strike threat, our local president Eric Skoog was bargaining behind our backs with the university administration and trying to pressure us into settling short.
I sat dumbfounded with the rest of the negotiating committee and listened to our president try to talk us into proposing to management that we change our contract expiration date from June to December.
A December expiration date would force us to strike in the dead of winter instead of at the beginning of the semester when students are moving in and we have the most bargaining leverage.
The rank-and-file members of the negotiating committee refused. But the administration knew that Skoog supported the concession, and management took advantage of his weakness.
The university immediately issued a “last, best and final offer” with substandard wage increases and a December expiration.
Skoog wanted members to accept the bad contract. Behind closed doors, Skoog said members at the University would never stick together. We proved him wrong.
We organized a Vote No campaign with informational leaflets and stickers. We organized Zoom meetings with hundreds of members to answer questions and stay united.
Eighty-two percent of members voted No to reject the deal.
On Strike
When it was time to strike, we were ready. Our picket lines hit all five University campuses. For five days, we had around-the-clock picket lines and brought campus services to a halt as the fall semester got underway.
We kept each other informed and united by holding Zoom calls with hundreds of strikers. We set up WhatsApp groups where strike captains could coordinate, ask questions, and offer support.
We held large rallies every other day to share updates and demonstrate our unity.
Our membership includes hundreds of East African workers who are essential to the University.
To keep everyone united, we shared strike information in five different languages at rallies, meetings, and on flyers.
Other unions adopted picket lines. Teamsters Local 120 business agents were at our strike daily. Local 320 officers were noticeably absent.
President Skoog showed up to speak at rallies, but otherwise we never saw him.
The public stood with us too. Students turned out to rallies. Faculty and community members dropped off food and spoke at rallies and picket lines.
Farm Aid honored our picket lines and announced it would cancel an upcoming 50,000-person concert and festival if the strike was not settled.
Political leaders called on the university administration to prevent that economic hit by reaching an agreement.
After a massive rally of strikers and supporters on Friday, the university surrendered. They withdrew their “last, best and final offer” and replaced it with a new offer with higher wages. Our contract continues to expire in June. We won.
Local Union Election
Our contract campaign and strike paid off. But Local 320 members should not have to fight our employers and our own union officers at the same time.
During the contract campaign and strike, we kept our differences with President Skoog behind closed doors and stayed focused on uniting the members.
With the strike behind us and a contract victory secured, we formed the 320 Teamster Action Slate to run for local union office.
We have joined forces with shop stewards and members from across our local. We are running a positive campaign based on how we can build a stronger union by involving the members.
Our opponent has responded with lies, attacks and threats. In a speech at the local’s shop steward seminar, Skoog said members like me who are running for office “want to burn our union down” and said, “You can kiss my f***ing ass.”
Thanks, but no thanks. I’m a 26-year Teamster and I don’t kiss anyone’s ass. From what I saw in contract negotiations, that’s Skoog’s department.
Up to the Members
Members across the state are responding to the 320 Teamster Action campaign.
In just a few weeks, almost a thousand members have signed a Voter Pledge Card based on our Contract Unity Pledge.
What began as a movement at the university is now a statewide campaign of school district custodians, corrections officers, public defenders, bus drivers, Honeywell workers, and more.
We’ve shown we know how to build union power and win stronger contracts. What happens next is up to the members.
Christy O’Connor is a 26-year Teamster and Local 320 Shop Steward
Start Early to Get Members Involved
“We didn’t wait until our contract expired to get organized.
“TDU showed us how to build a contract campaign that got members informed, united and strike-ready.”
Ryan Mulloy
Univ. of Minn.—Twin Cities
Local 320, Minnesota
Uniting to Strike & Win
“None of us had ever been on strike before. It was scary to pull the trigger, but it was an amazing experience. Teamsters at the university speak five languages, but during our strike we spoke in one voice.
“We were united, we were powerful and we won.”
Estifanos “Steve” Tesfagiorgis
Univ. of Minn.—Twin Cities
Local 320, Minnesota
Voting Down a Bad Offer
“Our own local union president undermined us and pushed us to accept a bad contract. But the union is the membership.
“We voted the employer’s offer down by 82% and we won a better contract.”
Kayli Staubus
Univ. of Minn.—Duluth
Local 320, Minnesota
Organizing for a Stronger Union
“Our local represents 10,000 public employees across Minnesota and Honeywell plant workers too. Our jobs are very different but we all want a union that negotiates good contracts, represents the members, and treats us with respect.
“It’s time for change.”
Curtis Marquardt
Rochester Public Schools
Local 320, Minnesota