Minneapolis City Council vote to override mayor's labor standards board veto fails
MINNEAPOLIS — Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of a proposed citywide labor standards board will stand after a City Council vote to override it failed Thursday morning.
With an 8-5 tally in favor, the council fell one short of the nine votes needed to overrule the mayor.
Councilmembers Elliott Payne, Robin Wonsley, Jeremiah Ellison, Katie 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 no.
"Mayor Frey and some members of the City Council sent a clear message to workers today — that they are uninterested in their voices, that they do not believe workers in our city should have a seat at the table. I'm disappointed that after two years of work, the Mayor flip flopped on his commitment to create this board," said Chughtai, the lead author of the measure. "Despite today's result, 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 board, whose 15 members would have included employers, workers, consumers and other community stakeholders. The board would have advised city leaders on industry-specific regulations and workplace policies.
Frey vetoed the proposal a week after its passage, arguing the board was not "balanced" and espousing his own, more business-focused proposal.
"If we want this Labor Standards Board to work, business participation isn't just important, it's essential. Under the Council's proposal, business participation is negligible — and everyone knows that's not going to work," Frey said. "Council must pass a board that is balanced and inspires collaboration from both labor and businesses."
Frey's proposal would include an equal split between employees and employers on the board, with an equal number of appointments made by the City Council and the mayor. He also put forward that the supermajority of board members must agree on recommendations before they are presented the council.
Frey wasn't alone in his opposition to 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 opposing the board's creation, celebrated Thursday's failed vote.
"Today is a victory for small businesses and the economic future of Minneapolis," the coalition said. "We are grateful to the city council for sustaining the mayor's veto of the Labor Standards Board, and for listening to the concerns of businesses, neighborhood organizations, and community advocates across Minneapolis."
On Monday, a coalition of leaders from several local labor organizations — including Centro De Trabajadores Unidos En La Lucha and Service Employees International Union — released a statement criticizing Frey.
"As billionaires are set to run the federal government and workers are likely to face increasing attacks on their rights, the City of Minneapolis should be leading on bringing workers' voices to the table, not taking marching orders from corporate lobbyists to create a 'No Standards Board,'" the coalition wrote.
Supporters of the board argued it would allow working-class people who are experts in their sectors to have a hand in policymaking.
Note: The video above originally aired Nov. 21, 2024.
