MINNEAPOLIS— Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey on Thursday vetoed a City Council proposal to create a citywide labor standards board.
The city council voted 9-3 in favor making the board last week, which would consist of employers, employees, consumers and other community stakeholders. The fifteen members would advise the mayor and city council on industry-specific regulations and workplace policies.
The mayor argued in his veto that the board is not ‘balanced’ and came up with his own proposal.
“If we want this Labor Standards Board to work, business participation is not only important, it’s essential. Under the Board’s proposal, business participation is negligible – and everyone knows that’s not going to work,” Frey said. “The Council must adopt a board that is balanced and encourages cooperation of both labor and business.”
Frey’s proposal would include an equal split between employees and employers on the board, with an equal number of appointments by the City Council and the mayor. He also stated that the vast majority of board members must agree on the recommendations before they are submitted to the board.
One hundred and twenty restaurant owners and hospitality leaders came out against the creation of the board, saying it is a solution in search of a problem. Proponents of governance say it allows working-class people, who are experts in their industries, to actively participate in policymaking.
