Minn. Supreme Court To Hear $15 Minimum Wage Appeal
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The decision on whether to put the minimum wage of the city of Minneapolis on the ballot will be heard by the Minnesota Supreme Court.
Earlier this year, activists gathered more than 20,000 signatures to include an amendment to the city's charter on the November ballot. The charter amendment would set the city's minimum wage at $15 per hour.
The Minneapolis City Attorney, Susan Segal, reviewed the suggested amendment and submitted to the Minneapolis City Council her judgment: The minimum wage is an issue that should be regulated by ordinance, not a charter amendment. By law in Minneapolis, the city council has sole authority over creating ordinances.
Activists filed a lawsuit against the city, hoping the court would compel the election to include the potential charter amendment on the November ballot in Minneapolis. In court Monday, a Hennepin County judge did just that.
Now, the city is striking back. After Segal appealed the case, the Minnesota Supreme Court agreed to hear it next Tuesday. The courts will have to move quicker than usual, in order for the case to be decided before the November ballot is finalized. Elections officials said the latest they can wait is Sept. 1 or Sept. 2.
After the Minneapolis City Council rejected the measure earlier this month, several council members issued an order to city staff to research how to best raise the city's minimum wage, though they gave no specific number. The staff is scheduled to submit their findings to the council in the second quarter of 2017.
