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This commentary was submitted by several members of the Minneapolis business community. Their names are listed below.
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Minneapolis has always been a city where innovation meets resilience, where small businesses form the essence of thriving neighborhoods. As first-generation immigrants looking for a place to put down roots and find opportunities, we turned to Minneapolis for its diversity and support for BIPOC communities like ours. We have poured our time, resources and passion into building businesses here that can support our families and help us achieve the American dream.
We believed in the city’s potential. But, the reality of operating a small business in Minneapolis today is that the very qualities that drew us to invest our livelihoods here are being overshadowed by rising costs, mounting bureaucracy and policies that make it harder and harder for us to survive.
Last week, the Minneapolis City Council approved a Labor Standards Board (LSB), a new unelected body with the ability to fast-track new rules and regulations that will affect the day-to-day operations of our businesses. As minorities and non-native English speakers new to this country, we found that navigating the opening of a business was already difficult, and we faced unique challenges. But the Minneapolis City Council refused to pay meaningful attention to our input about those challenges. The LSB was created without public hearings or meaningful dialogue with the business community. Council members have now twice voted against holding a public hearing, despite pleas from their own colleagues.
We cannot overstate the harm this rushed decision will bring — not just to our businesses, but to our employees, customers and neighborhoods.