WINONA, Minn. – Faculty at MinnState universities, including Winona State, have been encouraged by their union leadership to stand in solidarity with mid-level campus managers whose own union, a separate entity, has approved a strike. But there are llmits, said Jenna Chernega, the state Inter-Faculty Organization president. Chernega cautioned that state law forbids profs from striking in sympathy. Chernega ,said profs may make signs and oicket-line placards, organize rallies, join picket lines on their own time, and submit letters to the editor. She said that if administrators ask profs to “fill in” or perform duties of striking managers: Don’t. “Every faculty member has the authority under our contract to deny a request to work more than their 24-credit workload,” she said.
Earlier: Profs’ pending back-to-back pay hikes – 5% and 5.3%
Status update
Campus managers, including 111 at Winona State, are represented by the State University Administrative and Service Faculty union, which has served notice that it’s prepared to strike August 21. Meanwhile, the faculty union, the IFO, has called on MinnState Chancellor Scott Olson to reconsider the system’s position in contact negotiations with the campus managers’ ASF union.