Following two days of voting, 3,500 members of the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Minnesota (SEIU HCMN) have overwhelmingly voted to strike with 91% of workers voting in favor.

“The vote speaks for itself,” says Tee McClenty, executive vice president of SEIU Healthcare Minnesota who is leading the negotiating team for the union.

Should the 2-5 day strike take place, it would affect eight metro area hospitals including: Fairview Southdale Hospital in Edina, Fairview Riverside Hospital in Minneapolis, Children’s Hospitals in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Health East’s Bethesda Hospital in St. Paul and St. John’s Hospital in Maplewood, North Memorial Hospital in Robbinsdale, and Park Nicollet/Methodist Hospital in St. Louis Park.

Health care workers have thus far been unable to reach a new contract settlement with proposed changes that could push the lowest paid employees into poverty.

The 3,500 affected workers include: nursing assistants, ER techs maintenance and food service personnel, clerks, warehouse staff, environmental services staff and others.