AFSCME workers announce vote on strike authorization

AFSCME Local 668, a union affiliated with AFSCME Council 5 that represents workers who provide services to the Metropolitan Council, said Friday that members voted to authorize a strike.

A statement from Bart Andersen, executive director of AFSCME Council 5, and Tiffany Leff, president of Local 668, said workers were demanding “fair pay increases, an end to unfair and discriminatory performance-based pay, and the respect and dignity they deserve in the workplace.”

The performance-related pay policies are not communicated to workers, said Max Hall, director of external relations and planning at AFCSME Council 5. “There is no transparency in the process.”

After the strike vote notice is submitted to the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services, a 10-day “cooling off period” will be required, during which time AFSCME and the Metropolitan Council will enter into mediation.

The Metropolitan Council is a regional policy body that operates Metro Transit, Metro Mobility and Transit Link for the seven counties in the Twin Cities metropolitan area.

AFSCME Local 668 represents more than 700 workers in the metropolitan area who maintain sewer pipes, serve as accident investigators for Metro Transit, test air and water quality, and process applications for the construction of affordable housing.