MINNEAPOLIS— Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey the veto of a proposed citywide labor standards board will stand after a City Council vote to override it failed Thursday morning.
With a score of 8-5 in favor, the council fell one short of the nine votes needed to overrule the mayor.
Councilors Elliott Payne, Robin Wonsley, Jeremiah EllisonKatie Cashman, Jason Chavez, Aisha Chughtai, Emily Koski and Aurin Chowdhury voted to override the veto. Andrea Jenkins, Michael Rainville, LaTrisha Vetaw, Jamal Osman and Linea Palmisano voted against.
“Mayor Frey and several members of the City Council sent a clear message to workers today – that they are not interested in their vote, that they do not believe that workers in our city should have a seat at the table. “I am disappointed that after two years of work, the mayor has reneged on his promise to establish this board,” said Chughtai, the lead author of the measure. “Despite today’s outcome, I remain committed to representing working people in Minneapolis, and I will continue to fight for and with them at City Hall and in our communities.”
Last month the city council voted 9-3 in favor of creating the boardwhose 15 members would have included employers, employees, consumers and other community stakeholders. The board would have advised city leaders on sector-specific regulations and workplace policies.
Frey vetoed the proposal a week after it passed, arguing the board was not “balanced” and supporting his own, more business-oriented 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.
Frey wasn’t the only one to oppose the measure: 120 restaurant owners and hospitality leaders spoke out against it, saying it was a solution in search of a problem.
The Minneapolis Works Together Coalition, a group of business leaders opposed to the creation of the board, celebrated Thursday’s failed vote.
“Today is a victory for small businesses and Minneapolis’ economic future,” the coalition said. “We are grateful to the City Council for supporting the mayor’s veto of the Labor Standards Board, and for listening to the concerns of businesses, neighborhood organizations and community activists across Minneapolis.”
Supporters of the administration argued that it would allow working-class people, who are experts in their industries, to lend a hand in policymaking.
Note: The above video originally aired on November 21, 2024.
