Support staff at the University of Manitoba voted 87 per cent in favour of giving the union bargaining team a strike mandate on Thursday. The Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union, which represents food service workers, groundskeepers and skilled tradespeople, at the university says a strike likely won’t be necessary and negotiations are continuing with the administration. However, in 2007, the last time CAW’s contract came up for negotiation, an eight day strike was held.