UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) — Teamsters Local 8 Union, who represent 2,700 employees at Penn State University, are in the process of voting to authorize a strike.þþThe union began strike authorization voting at 8 a.m. on Tuesday and voters have until 5 p.m. on June 26 to make their decision. The union is voting on whether to authorize a strike should their negotiating team and Penn State not agree on a new contract by June 30, when the current contract expires.þþAccording to the union, they are voting to authorize a strike due to having “little movement from the university on our wage proposal.” The union also said their counteroffer was “unrealistic” and not in the ballpark.þþThe Union said they plan to do everything to reach a fair agreement to avoid a strike, this move, if approved, allows them to “defeat the unfair demands” from the university.þþAccording to their website, the Teamsters Union does have a strike fund in place in the event of a strike. With the fund, the General Executive Board of the IBT will allow up to $1,000 per week for each member. The union says they are currently working with the IBT to find out if it will be paid out.þþWTAJ reached out to Penn State University regarding this vote and they responded with the following statement.þþPenn State’s technical service employees are a key part of our university community, and we value them and the important contributions they continue to make to university life. Penn State leaders are optimistic that a fair and competitive agreement will be reached because we have a long history of bargaining in good faith to reach mutually acceptable agreements with Teamsters Local 8.
Source: wtaj.com
