October 21, 2003 - The University of Minnesota today is facing its first strike in nearly 60 years. More than 18-hundred clerical workers belonging to the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees local 38-hundred went on strike this morning. The union rejected the university's final offer last night. It included a one-year wage freeze and a two-and-a-half percent pay increase in the second year. It would also increase employees' share of health-care premiums. University officials say that state budget cuts have limited their ability to offer more. Tom Juravich is director of the Labor Relations and Research Center at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He says, in some cases, a strike can be an effective tool for workers.
October 21, 2003 - The University of Minnesota's clerical union is on strike today. Marisa Helms has followed the negotiations. She has spent much of the day at the Twin Cities campus of the U of M, where news conferences by the union and university administrators have just wrapped up. She joins us now.
October 22, 2003 -
October 22, 2003 -
October 22, 2003 - Members of the University of Minnesota's clerical union are off the job and on the picket lines again this morning. Marisa Helms reports.
October 23, 2003 - The third day of the strike by University of Minnesota clerical workers passed with no sign of movement from either side to break the impasse. No talks have been scheduled since the negotiations broke off Monday evening. Since the strike began the two sides have disagreed about how many workers have taken to the picket lines. The university says nearly sixty percent of the 19-hundred workers covered by the clerical contract have shown up for work. Union leaders say the number is half that. Minnesota Public Radio's Marisa reports.
October 23, 2003 -
October 27, 2003 - Efforts to put the Middle East roadmap to peace back on course have been thwarted by an increase in violence in recent weeks. Marcia Freedman says that's no reason to give up. The U-S born Freedman immigrated to Israel in the 1960s, was elected to the Israeli Knesset and served from 1973 to 1977.
October 27, 2003 - Minneaota Public Radio's Chief Economics Correspondent Chris Farrell talks about the open market meeting this week, and what people expect to com from it. Farrell says that evryone expects that the Federal Open Market Committee will not do anything.
October 28, 2003 - The Minnesota Vikings want a new location for the team's summer training camp. This is the final week to get the proposals in. Leaders in four cities want to lure the Vikings to their town. Mankato wants Vikings training camp to stay where its been for the last 39 years. In Duluth the climate is a plus. Sioux Falls will offer a four star hotel and state of the art facilities. There's a proposal from Fargo too. The deadline is Friday. Mainstreet Radio's Cara Hetland reports: