Teamsters Win University of Minnesota Strike, With Help from Farm Aid
Chris Garlock | Published on 9/19/2025
Some 1,400 Teamster service workers at the University of Minnesota have won a resounding
victory in a five-day walkout that showcased their militancy and underscored the power of solidarity. A key to the strike victory was Farm Aid's refusal to cross Teamster picket lines, saying ““Our artists, production team and partners have made clear that they will not cross a picket line." Its 40th anniversary concert was scheduled to be held at the University of Minnesota’s Huntington Bank Stadium, where the Gopher football team plays. “Members won this strike,” said Grady Johnson, a shop steward, strike captain, and gardener on the Twin Cities campus. “But we would not have been able to do it without community and labor support from Farm Aid, and from Willie Nelson, Teamster truckers honoring our lines, and all the other unions and community groups who provided support.” Read more here.
Randy Furst, in Labor Notes; photo by Brad Sigal