Penn State union votes to authorize strike; What that means and what happens next

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. (WTAJ) – The Teamsters Local 8 union, which represents 2,700 Penn State University employees, is currently voting on whether to authorize a strike.

The union began voting on strike authorization at 8 a.m. Tuesday, and voters have until 5 p.m. June 26 to make their decision. The union is voting on whether to authorize a strike if its bargaining team and Penn State cannot agree on a new contract by June 30, when the current contract expires.

According to the union, they are voting for a strike because there has been “little movement from the university on our wage proposal.” The union also said their counteroffer was “unrealistic” and not appropriate.

The union said it would do everything it could to reach a fair agreement and avoid a strike, and that this step, if approved, would enable it to fend off the university’s “unfair demands.”

According to its website, the Teamsters Union has a strike fund in case of a strike. With this fund, the IBT’s General Executive Board provides each member with up to $1,000 per week. The union says it is currently working with the IBT to find out if the fund will be paid out.

abc27’s sister station WTAJ reached out to Penn State University regarding this vote and they responded with the following statement.

Penn State’s technical services employees are an important 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, as we have a long history of negotiating in good faith with Teamsters Local 8 to reach mutually acceptable agreements.

Asking union members for strike authorization is a standard part of the bargaining process and in most cases does not result in a work stoppage. A strike authorization vote is essentially a vote of union members to ensure that any decision to strike is made by a majority of members who cast their vote.

Penn State Spokesperson