As strike continues, RISD and Teamsters expected to meet to negotiate contract

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (WLNE) — As Rhode Island School of Design workers continue to strike over wages, Teamsters Local 251 — the union representing the employees — and the college are expected to meet again on Thursday.

“RISD is pleased to report we had productive meetings with union leaders today,” Jaime Marland, a spokesperson for the RISD, said Wednesday in an email. “Both parties have agreed to meet tomorrow.”

Also Wednesday, RISD faculty, staff, and students joined in solidarity with movers, custodians, and groundskeepers — who have been on an open-ended strike since April 3.

“We depend on these people,” Kyna Leski, a professor of architecture at RISD, said Wednesday. “They do their job, they do it well, and they need to be compensated in a fair way.”

Teamsters Local 251 said that most recently, RISD ignored a proposed contract from last month.

So far, there’s no end date for the strike.