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The Minneapolis City Council has shared its plan for a labor standards board — an advisory committee that would make recommendations to the council for labor policies.

A council committee considered the potential board at a meeting Wednesday, and voted to send the resolution to the full council for consideration. The resolution before the council calls for a 15-seat board, with five seats each for employers, employees and community stakeholders. 

Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai is one of the resolution’s authors. She said the goal is to give workers and employers a seat at the table.

“We should be soliciting input and feedback from those who are directly impacted by a new labor regulation to ask for their perspective,” Chughtai said.

The board would be charged with assembling subcommittees to study labor needs and issues in specific sectors in the city. The proposal comes two years after council members announced intentions to create one, with support from Mayor Jacob Frey and labor organizations.

 Over the summer — before the board had been officially proposed — a coalition of national and local groups led a campaign against the idea. Several local restaurant owners rallied with Hospitality Minnesota to push the council to drop the board. 

Opponents say they worry that new regulations from the board will create costs for small businesses that already run on thin margins. Both opponents and supporters crowded the seats at the council meeting, holding signs urging the council to vote their way.

Council member Michael Rainville said he’s heard concerns from business owners in his ward.

“In essence, what this is going to do is pit small business owners against their employees — employees that already have protections under federal, state and city laws,” Rainville said. “This makes the city government become a union organizer.” 

The proposal’s authors and supporters said there are measures in place to make this a balanced forum for discussion. Any policy ideas would need to have a majority vote from the board to move to the council for consideration. That majority would also need to include at least one employer representative, one employee representative and one community representative.

Mayor Frey has also called for a labor standards board, but he said in a statement that he disagrees with parts of the council’s plan. 

“Mayor Frey has long been in support of a labor standards board that is fair and balanced, but the City Council’s proposal is not,” said a spokesperson for the mayor’s office.

The council’s proposal suggests that three of the board’s 15 seats will be appointed by the mayor; Frey is asking the council for a 50/50 split between council and mayoral appointments instead. He also asked for a requirement for a two-thirds majority vote for proposals from the board to be elevated to the city council.

Council member Linea Palmisano suggested Wednesday that the council delay the resolution to give time for a public comment period. Other council members voted down the idea. 

Council member Aurin Chowdhury, another of the resolution’s authors, said she believes the board will help the council make better labor policy for everyone — including small business owners.

“I think fundamentally at the end of this, what this is about is trusting our local businesses, trusting our workers and trusting consumers and experts,” Chowdhury said. “You should have a table to come together on and have a robust discussion to inform us as policy makers.”

Estelle Timar-Wilcox

Author

The Minneapolis City Council has shared its plan for a labor standards board — an advisory committee that would make recommendations to the council for labor policies. Proponents say it’s a helpful platform for workers and employers to talk about problems with labor policies in the city, but some business owners worry it will lead to new regulations that are costly to follow.

Audience members listen to the Minneapolis City Council

Minneapolis City Council moves forward on labor standards board

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