A letter to President Cunningham and the Board of Regents Regarding a Fair Contract for UMN Service Workers, August 19, 2025.
The following is an email sent to President Cunningham and the Board of Regents from the executive committee urging them to avoid a strike by settling a fair contract with Teamsters Local 320.
August 19, 2025
Dear President Cunningham and UMN Board of Regents,
As the elected Executive Committee of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP-UMTC), we write to express our strong support for the over 1,500 service workers represented by Teamsters Local 320 who are seeking a fair contract at our University. We do this as academic workers and partners in our university’s mission to advance higher education as a public good.
The Teamsters service workers are the backbone of daily operations on all our campuses. Without their round-the-clock efforts, academic workers would be unable to teach, research, mentor, or conduct any of the work upon which the University’s international reputation rests. Their working conditions and wellbeing are directly linked to the working conditions and wellbeing of the entire university community.
Urgency and Fairness of the Workers’ Demands
We are deeply concerned by the administration’s current contract proposal: a two-year deal offering just a 3% raise in the first year and 1.5% in the second—less than the 3.5% annual raise awarded to President Cunningham and below the terms agreed to with the Graduate Labor Union (UE Local 1105). The proposal also includes a 10.2% increase in healthcare costs, effectively canceling out any raise, and allows new hires to earn more than long-serving staff—undermining principles of pay equity that reward long-term service. Additionally, the administration’s failure to address a documented rise in harassment and disproportionate discipline, particularly targeting women and Black employees in food service, heightens our sense of moral urgency.
Our Teamster colleagues deserve the basic dignities of a living wage and a respectful workplace.
This Disruption Is a Choice—One the Administration Can End
We understand that should a strike occur, it will reverberate throughout our classrooms, research labs, and operations. Yet this is a crisis chosen by the administration through its refusal to meet the necessary and reasonable proposals presented by the Teamsters.
Academic workers across the University share a common purpose and a deep commitment to ensuring that all those who sustain our campus community are treated justly. In the event of a strike, we will find meaningful ways to stand in solidarity with service workers.
A Call for Leadership
It will be a sign of leadership to take steps that prevent disruptions by embracing fairness and engaging in real dialogue. We urge you to honor our essential workers by settling a fair and just contract with the Teamsters workers.
Sincerely,
The Executive Committee of the AAUP-UMTC:
William P. Jones, President
Heather Holcombe, Vice President
Gopalan Nadathur, Secretary
Laura Kane McElfresh, Treasurer
Ruth Shaw, Member-at-large
V.V. Ganeshananthan, Member-at-large
August 19, 2025
Dear President Cunningham and UMN Board of Regents,
As the elected Executive Committee of the University of Minnesota Twin Cities chapter of the American Association of University Professors (AAUP-UMTC), we write to express our strong support for the over 1,500 service workers represented by Teamsters Local 320 who are seeking a fair contract at our University. We do this as academic workers and partners in our university’s mission to advance higher education as a public good.
The Teamsters service workers are the backbone of daily operations on all our campuses. Without their round-the-clock efforts, academic workers would be unable to teach, research, mentor, or conduct any of the work upon which the University’s international reputation rests. Their working conditions and wellbeing are directly linked to the working conditions and wellbeing of the entire university community.
Urgency and Fairness of the Workers’ Demands
We are deeply concerned by the administration’s current contract proposal: a two-year deal offering just a 3% raise in the first year and 1.5% in the second—less than the 3.5% annual raise awarded to President Cunningham and below the terms agreed to with the Graduate Labor Union (UE Local 1105). The proposal also includes a 10.2% increase in healthcare costs, effectively canceling out any raise, and allows new hires to earn more than long-serving staff—undermining principles of pay equity that reward long-term service. Additionally, the administration’s failure to address a documented rise in harassment and disproportionate discipline, particularly targeting women and Black employees in food service, heightens our sense of moral urgency.
Our Teamster colleagues deserve the basic dignities of a living wage and a respectful workplace.
This Disruption Is a Choice—One the Administration Can End
We understand that should a strike occur, it will reverberate throughout our classrooms, research labs, and operations. Yet this is a crisis chosen by the administration through its refusal to meet the necessary and reasonable proposals presented by the Teamsters.
Academic workers across the University share a common purpose and a deep commitment to ensuring that all those who sustain our campus community are treated justly. In the event of a strike, we will find meaningful ways to stand in solidarity with service workers.
A Call for Leadership
It will be a sign of leadership to take steps that prevent disruptions by embracing fairness and engaging in real dialogue. We urge you to honor our essential workers by settling a fair and just contract with the Teamsters workers.
Sincerely,
The Executive Committee of the AAUP-UMTC:
William P. Jones, President
Heather Holcombe, Vice President
Gopalan Nadathur, Secretary
Laura Kane McElfresh, Treasurer
Ruth Shaw, Member-at-large
V.V. Ganeshananthan, Member-at-large