Gov. Mark Dayton urged about 1,700 business leaders to back his goal of more aggressively tackling racial economic disparities, warning that the state's future economic development is in peril if disparities persist.
"We're going to need all available workers to fill available jobs [in the future]" Dayton said. "More and more of those workers will be people of color. Business leaders like yourself are key to making this transition successfully. You control one of the keys to success: jobs."
As growth of the labor force slows in the coming decades, policy makers will have to tackle disparities in education to ensure a well-trained workforce, Dayton said. Among efforts employers can take, Dayton said, is to examine hiring practices to ensure workers of all backgrounds have equal opportunity.
Dayton also spoke about recent racial incidents that he called acts of "bigotry." He said a recent visit he paid to a Minneapolis mosque that had been vandalize saddened him because it sent a message of intolerance to Muslim youth.
"I urge you to use your moral authority... and take a strong public stance against religious and racial bigotry," he said. Dayton spoke at the annual Minnesota Chamber of Commerce dinner in Minneapolis Monday night, joining other state legislators who had just wrapped up the first day of the legislative session.
The Minnesota Chamber of Commerce is urging Dayton and legislators to approve property tax cuts for businesses. Among other priorities is the passage of a comprehensive transportation funding bill that would be paid for through the state's general fund, bonding and identifying "efficiencies."
