While contract negotiations for support staff at the University of Manitoba are underway, the bargaining committee was given the a strike mandate in a vote on Thursday, union officials said.

The Canadian Auto Workers local 3007 represents caretakers, food service workers, groundskeepers, skilled tradespeople and power engineers at the university.

They voted 87 per cent in favour of giving their bargaining committee the power to call a strike, if necessary.

Bargaining committee chair Frank Wright says he doesn't believe a strike will be necessary, but monetary issues have not yet been discussed in the negotiations.

In the last round of contract negotiations, the local went on an eight-day strike.