Members of AFSCME Council 6, the largest state employees union, will finish voting Friday night whether to strike against the State of Minnesota.

Ballots will be counted Saturday morning at the union headquarters in South St. Paul and results should be available at about noon, the union said. AFSCME staff in the field reported heavy voter turnout in all of the polling locations across the state.

A strike could begin Sept. 17. It would be the first strike by the state employees in 20 years. A 1981 walkout by Council 6 members lasted 22 days.

Some 20, 000 members of Council 6 would walk out. They likely would be joined by another 10,000 state workers represented by the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees. MAPE also faces difficulty in its negotiations.

The state's last offer on the two-year contract included a 2.5 percent general wage increase and significant health insurance cost increases for AFSCME members. The union's last offer to the state included a 6.5 percent general wage increase and more equal sharing of insurance cost increase between the employer and employee.

The state's health care proposal is particularly onerous, said Peter Benner, Council 6 executive director. "People will end up paying 15, 20, 25 percent of their take-home pay in out-of-pocket costs for health care."

For the latest on state contract talks
Visit the AFSCME Council 6 website: http://www.afscmecouncil6.org