Be cautious with Mpls. labor board

Opinion editor’s note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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Numerous cities and states have various types of labor advisory groups, including Detroit’s industry standards board, Michigan’s nursing home workforce stabilization council and Philadelphia’s domestic workers group.

Now Minneapolis officials are considering joining them by creating a Labor Standards Board that would advise the city on workplace regulations.

When and if such a board is created here, the details will matter and must be clearly understood. The mayor and City Council should have well-balanced powers to appoint volunteer members, and the board should have fair representation from labor and employers.

Creating such an advisory body in Minneapolis was first suggested in 2022 to examine workplace regulations and make recommendations to the mayor and council for new or modified ordinances. The plan that’s under consideration also would give the board authority to create other councils that could address issues in specific business areas. One city’s board, for example, created a group to look into conditions and rules for arena workers.

A Minneapolis board would be a more formalized version of the city’s Workplace Advisory Council, which was instrumental in bringing minimum-wage and sick-and-safe-time rules to the city. But that council was seen as more one-sided because of little business input. The current proposal should correct that.

Still, Frey told an editorial writer that his support is conditional. He and his staff have been working with council members and other stakeholders to make sure that the language creating the board includes fair representation and that its votes to advance ideas to the council should be approved by a supermajority — not just 50% plus one.

“If implemented properly, this advisory board could be a valuable tool,” Frey said. “Some policy changes involving labor just get brought up without any study or checking with business … . Yes, it’s an extra step, but having a board can create a proper forum for discussion that can lead to consensus.”

Last week, SEIU Local 26 released a study strongly supporting creation of the new board as a way to revitalize downtown by alleviating inequalities and boosting economic productivity with “higher wages, better working conditions, and high rates of worker participation.”

Despite that support, the proposed board has detractors. It has already generated an opposition campaign from Save Local Restaurants, which was organized by the National Restaurant Association and the International Franchise Association and is led locally by Hospitality Minnesota. The group’s restaurants and hotels are concerned that more regulation would hurt their business and downtown’s post-pandemic revitalization efforts.

“When has creating new layers of bureaucracy ever spurred economic revitalization?” Hospitality Minnesota CEO Angie Whitcomb asked in a statement, adding that the group will continue to work with city leaders on the proposal. And although the groups also have reservations, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce and the Minneapolis Downtown Council say they also will work with city leaders on shaping the ordinance language.