It's a few steps short of picket lines and cries of "scab," but the Star Tribune's drivers have set a strike authorization vote for next Tuesday, May 26. The drivers are at loggerheads with the bankrupt paper, which wants to withdraw from the Teamsters Central States pension plan.

A source close to the negotiations says a "yes" vote by the 103-member unit would not immediately trigger a work stoppage. Instead, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters would be formally asked to sanction a strike, should the local later approve one.

The international's blessing boosts the likelihood that other locals, including Teamsters pressmen and mailers, would honor a picket line. Although the pressmen, mailers and newsroom employees have agreed to their own cuts, they retain the contractual right to strike.

May 26 is already a significant day in the Strib's Chapter 11 journey, as it's the latest deadline from creditors who have threatened to stop the paper from spending down cash. Such drop-deads have passed before; a shutdown could cost creditors more if it reduces the Strib's asset value.

The mailers have until May 27 to respond to the Strib's request that a judge terminate the drivers' contract, which was signed last November and runs through mid-2011. Should Bankruptcy Judge Robert Drain grant the Strib's motion, a strike seems likely.