About 70 workers at Essentia Health-Deer River are on strike.

About 70 workers who are members of SEIU Healthcare of Minnesota and Iowa are striking instead of working at Essentia Health-Deer River. The strike began at 7 a.m. on Monday.

As of 10 a.m., about 25 of them were walking along the picket line. The rally is scheduled for 12 noon.

SEIU stands for Service Employees International Union. The group includes people who work in nutrition, environmental services, nursing assistants, phlebotomists, pharmacists and many other technical positions.

The strike is expected to last until 7 a.m. Saturday.

The union said wages are low and job responsibilities are high, and the proposed pay increase is not big enough.

Another meeting between Essentia and the union is scheduled for Wednesday.

Essentia posted on its website that patients can still seek care in the clinic, emergency room, surgery and long-term care.

Find out more tonight on The Five.