Some Pigs
Are More Equal
Than Other Pigs

AFSCME voted (73% favorable) to turn down BigU's latest contract offer. Thus it appears that a strike may occur on the first day of fall semester classes at the University of Minnesota. Clerical and technical workers are not happy with the proposed salary increase.

OurLeader's response:

Bruininks acknowledged that a first-day-of-school strike "would not be pleasant." He also said that the university would have to adjust its budgets if the AFSCME workers are given a larger contract.

"We would have to go back and make some appropriate adjustments to [other employee groups'] compensation," Bruininks said. "When you start to multiply the impact of this, the impact could be very great.

Ah, the old divide and conquer technique. Rather ham-handed, don't you think? But then Bruininks is a self-described 'dirty player' and apparently proud of it.

"The only way it could happen would be by cutting budgets and, inevitably, that means laying people off. [Could this be a threat?] I don't think it's a very good bargain and I'm not willing to enter into one that will weaken the university at this time."

Mr. B. notes that president Bruininks is perhaps not the best person to be making such comments given his own large salary increases, platinum parachute, and recent purchase of a million condo downtown.

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Ciao, Bonzo