More than 700 employees of the Metropolitan Council could go on strike.

AFSCME Council 5 and AFSCME Local 668 say 94% of union members voted to authorize a strike after not being able to reach an agreement on a contract.

The hundreds of union employees represent many divisions of the Met Council, including wastewater workers, Metro Transit accident investigators, payroll, Information Technology and more.

They are demanding pay raises, an end to performance-based pay and ending using interns instead of hiring full-time staff.

“For too long, our union members at the Metropolitan Council have been underpaid and undervalued and now we are saying, ‘enough is enough’ and by historic numbers, we have voted to authorize a strike. We are fighting for fair raises that reflect our hard work and dedication to providing high-quality services for the nearly 3 million metropolitan area residents we support,” said Tiffany Leff, president of AFSCME Local 668. “We reject unfair performance-based raises that are shrouded in secrecy and exacerbate pay inequities. All of our members deserve fair and transparent compensation. Our communities deserve and expect Metropolitan Council leadership to treat its workforce with the dignity and respect we deserve.”

As required by law, the MN Bureau of Mediation Services must be notified of the strike authorization. There will be a 10-day “cooling down” period during which both parties will enter mediation before a strike occurs.