U of M workers walk off the job, services disrupted

MINNEAPOLIS — As of 10 p.m. Monday, some service workers at the University of Minnesota are walking off the job — the first strike in recent memory.

It impacts everything from dining services to trash and removal.

The strike first took effect at the Crookston and Morris campuses. On Tuesday, workers go on strike in Duluth at 4 a.m. and then at 7 p.m. across the Twin Cities.

Teamsters Local 320 represents 1,400 maintenance, food service and janitorial staff, and has been negotiating with the school since March.

"I've been involved with the process since pretty early on, and I didn't necessarily expect it to get to this point," said U of M gardener Grady Johnson. He's worked for the university for six years, also focusing on irrigation and snow removal.

"Landscapes take labor, right, so