Hospitality Minnesota Joins Others for Statement on City Council's Passage of the Labor Standards Board
Joint Statement from Minneapolis Regional Chamber, Minneapolis Downtown Council, Hospitality Minnesota, and Minnesota Retailers on the City Council's Passage of the Labor Standards Board
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 14, 2024
CONTACT:
Allison Housley
(314) 413-8791
Minneapolis, MN - In response to the Minneapolis City Council passing the Labor Standards Board Resolution at today’s council meeting, as members of the Minneapolis Works Together coalition, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, Minneapolis Downtown Council, Hospitality Minnesota, and Minnesota Retailers release the following joint statement:
"Today’s vote confirmed everything we have been saying about the Minneapolis City Council not listening to the business community. From the beginning, the voice of the business community has been shut out of the process. It was created behind closed doors, allowed no public hearings, and was rushed through with only 11 days of public review. The Council has chosen to ignore the hundreds of voices from the business community who have raised deep concerns about the impact of this sweeping, poorly crafted regulation.
“The Labor Standards Board will wield the power to fast-track regulations that will have serious consequences for businesses throughout Minneapolis, stifling investment, limiting job growth, and creating widespread uncertainty. This new board, though described as "advisory," will have the authority to bring complex burdensome mandates forward that ignore the realities faced by local employers—particularly the BIPOC, small, and family-owned businesses that are the heart and soul of our city.
“This reckless move undermines public trust and threatens the stability of our city’s economy. Minneapolis deserves a transparent, balanced approach to policy—one that brings business, workers, and government together to strengthen, not weaken, our city’s future. By choosing this path, the Council has made Minneapolis a place where investment and development will be stifled, hindering efforts to revitalize our city and reopen shuttered businesses. We will not be participating in the Minneapolis Labor Standards Board in its current form.”
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