Overview

• The walkout by roughly 1,400 custodial, maintenance and food service workers has curtailed dining and cleaning, and the university says only one dining hall is closed.
• University police cited 12 people outside Pioneer Hall for obstructing a lawful order, and another citation was issued in Duluth after picketers tried to block deliveries.
• Teamsters filed an unfair labor practice complaint alleging police intimidation and an injury to a supporter, while the university accused some picketers of ICE threats, property damage and impeding supplies to a medical facility.
• The core dispute is pay, with the union seeking at least 3.5% to match other units and the university offering 3% plus a $500 annual lump sum and a shorter contract term, which leaders say reflects budget constraints.
• Farm Aid organizers said they may relocate or cancel next weekend’s concert rather than cross picket lines, and both the university and union say they are willing to resume talks though no session is set.