MINNEAPOLIS — Members of service workers unions celebrated Thursday afternoon after the Minneapolis City Council voted to create a new Labor Standards Board.
Supporters say it's about giving workers more of a voice in crafting policies that affect them in the workplace, while business groups warned the new panel would drive companies away from Minneapolis at a time the city's economy is still in recovery mode.
Council Member Aisha Chughtai, the lead author of the resolution creating the panel, said Thursday's vote came after two years of discussions with constituents and stakeholders.
"I have always trusted the voice of workers, from living with my family, to working for a union, to being an elected official," Chughtai, who was surrounded by members of the CTUL and SIEU unions, told reporters after the meeting. "That’s what this board is about, it’s about working-class people having a seat at the table. It’s about workers who are the experts in their own working conditions having a seat at the table."
The council passed the proposal on a 9 to 3 vote, with one member absent. That is considered a veto-proof majority if all nine members stick to their current stances after Mayor Jacob Frey vetoes the resolution.
"I’m extremely proud that we not only believe in economic justice in theory, but we also fight for it in practice, and that’s what we’re doing here today," Council Member Katie Cashman remarked.
The new board will include members of labor unions, businesses, and consumer groups. It will craft policy proposals that would need to be approved by the city council before becoming law. Business groups, especially in the local restaurant industry, say they're already operating on thin margins even without the new advisory panel.
"We’re not feeling very comfortable that this is truly going to be a balanced board, to pass it without so much of hearing from the businesses this will impact, does not give us a lot of hope that we’re going to have a fair seat at that table," Angie Whitcomb of Hospitality Minnesota told reporters.
The Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and Minneapolis Downtown Council joined Hospitality Minnesota in opposition, branding the council's vote as "reckless" and rushed. Opponents were particularly upset that the final details of the plan were published only 11 days before the final vote, and there wasn't a formal public hearing on it.
"They’ve been having conversations, yes, stakeholder meetings, but the feedback has not been implemented," Whitcomb explained. "It feels performative. They checked the box so they can say. 'We’ve met with small business; we’ve met with the restaurant community.' They have. They didn’t listen to us."
The council deadlocked 6 to 6 on a proposal to delay the final vote until after a public hearing could be held. Supporters said there will be plenty of opportunities in the future to amend the structure of the new board if problems arise.
"If we want people to be engaged around this issue, what is wrong with hearing from them?" Council Member LaTrisha Vetaw asked her colleagues.
Council Member Emily Koski supported the idea of holding off until after a public hearing but did eventually support forming the new board. She said the City Council needs to do all it can to shield working people from the impact of a second Donald Trump term.
"This attack on workers' rights on the highest level of government will have far reaching consequences, consequences that will reach us here in Minneapolis," Koski told her colleagues.
Council Member Michael Rainville warned that just the prospect of more business regulations will drive investment away from Minneapolis at a time the city is trying to recover from the pandemic, civil unrest around George Floyd's murder, and a surge in crime.
"This is so wrong to sit up here and demonize the business community, the corporations. They create the jobs. They pay the taxes. They give to charity."
Council Member Jason Chavez recalled his family's struggles as he spoke in support of moving ahead with the labor board now, rather than waiting to act.
"My mother had to work three frickin’ jobs -- three frickin’ jobs -- to barely afford rent, to barely be able to put food on the table, to barely be able to live her life and support us as children," Chavez recalled. "I don't understand why it is controversial to have an advisory board that says people in the City of Minneapolis, workers in our city matter!"
Mayor Jacob Frey has shown support for establishing a labor standards board in the past, but his office issued a statement Thursday saying he's opposed this version.
"Mayor Frey has been clear and consistent in his support for a Labor Standards Board that is balanced and fair, but the Council’s proposal was never that. He will be meeting with stakeholders from both the business and labor communities over the coming days to determine next steps."