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

A statement by AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen and Local 668 President Tiffany Leff said the workers are seeking “fair raises, an end to unfair and discriminatory performance-based pay, and the respect and dignity they deserve in the workplace.”

The guidelines for performance-based pay are not shared with workers, said Max Hall, the director for External Relations and Planning at AFCSME Council 5. “There is no transparency in the process.”

There will be a 10-day “cooling down period” required after the strike vote notice is sent to the Minnesota Bureau of Mediation Services. During this time, AFSCME and the Metropolitan Council will enter mediation.

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

AFSCME Local 668 represents more than 700 workers in the metro area who maintain waste water sewage pipes, Metro Transit accident investigators, air and water quality testers, and those who process affordable housing construction requests.

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