The Minneapolis City Council voted 9 to 3 Thursday to create a new Labor Standards Board of workers and employers to recommend industry regulations for pay, safety and equity.
Labor unions support the idea, and some council members say it would be a more democratic way of considering workplace standards. But the proposal has faced strong pushback from local and national industry groups who oppose creating another layer of government to give workers a say in business regulations.
It’s unclear if Mayor Jacob Frey will support or veto the plan. Based on Thursday’s vote, the council appears to have enough votes to override a veto.
More than two years ago, Frey and a majority of council members said during a news conference that they supported the idea of creating a labor board, but now there’s disagreement over the details.
After a council committee passed the plan last week, the mayor’s office said Frey would support a board with a 50/50 split between employers and employees, a 50/50 split between mayoral and council appointments and a requirement that at least two-thirds of the board support a recommended policy before it could advance to the City Council. The plan approved Thursday does not include those provisions.
“Mayor Frey has been clear and consistent in his support for a Labor Standards Board that is balanced and fair, but the council’s proposal was never that,” Frey’s office said in a statement Thursday.
“He will be meeting with stakeholders from both the business and labor communities over the coming days to determine next steps.”
The board would be made up of an equal number of business owners, employees and other community stakeholders who would create work groups for various industry sectors and recommend policies to the City Council.