On Wednesday, KSTP called it “a decision that could change the entire business landscape” in Minneapolis — “a government body overseeing wages, benefits, and training” and “enforce requirements concerning wages and benefits.”
Sounds ominous — but none of it is true.
They were talking about a proposed Labor Standards Board in Minneapolis, which would replace the city’s existing Workplace Advisory Committee. The proposal, like dozens of other city advisory boards and committees, wouldn’t oversee or enforce anything. It would not have real power. It would study issues and offer recommendations. The city council has no obligation to accept its recommendations and pass their ideas into legislation.
On Thursday, Fox 9 did an entirely speculative story about what would happen if St Paul followed Minneapolis’s lead and created their own version of a labor standards board. They interviewed a restaurant owner who predicted — if such a board was ever introduced to St Paul — it could force business to leave the city. Among several problems with this story is they failed to check that St Paul already has a Labor Standards Advisory Committee.
This discussion about an advisory committee, a concept which has long existed in Minneapolis and elsewhere, is proving difficult to understand. For example, the Minneapolis Advisory Committee on Aging does not regulate nursing homes or enforce age discrimination. They are volunteers who advise the city on issues affecting senior citizens. We should listen to and respect our seniors, but we’re not legally obligated.
It would be easy enough for anyone to fact check the panic by reading through the city council’s seven page resolution establishing the LSB. But breathless opposition from the business community is driving the confusion.
Once upon a time, the notion of a Labor Standards Board was the rare issue that united city leaders. In 2022, Mayor Frey headlined a rally on the steps of City Hall. With council members behind him, he offered his full-throated support. Yesterday, he vetoed the city council’s proposal.
Among his objections, Frey says he wants to make half the appointments “aligning the board’s structure with the city’s governance model.” But this I’m the mayor, I get half the appointments standard is pulled out of thin air. The city doesn’t use it for their boards and commissions — even the ones with more power than an advisory committee.
For example, the existing 16-member Workplace Advisory Committee gives three appointments to the mayor, 12 to the city council, and one to the park board. The city’s 15-member Community Commission on Police Oversight gives two appointments to the mayor and 13 to the city council — even though the city’s “governance model” gives the mayor 100% authority over the police.
Frey also says he will only support an LSB that imposes a supermajority requirement before the board can make a recommendation. Why is it necessary to introduce a supermajority barrier to an idea before it has even reached the legislative stage? The mayor already has the power to impose a supermajority requirement on the city council with his veto.
The council’s proposal already includes a higher threshold than a simple majority for proposals to advance within the LSB. It requires the board’s sectoral work groups to reach a “tripartite majority” before sending recommendations to the full board. This means that any proposal must have at least one worker, one employer, and one community stakeholder voting in favor.
Frey’s third objection is that the LSB should be made up equally of workers and employers. The council’s proposed composition would have five workers, five employers, and five “community partners.” Community partners include representatives from non-profits, workplace policy experts, government entities, and consumer advocates. For context, St Paul’s Labor Standards Advisory Committee has a similar breakdown as the Minneapolis proposal: six workers, six employers, four community representatives.
In conclusion, shame on everyone for blowing this out of proportion and saying so many untrue things. This is not a big deal.
