Minneapolis City Council failed to overturn veto for Labor Standards Board

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Minneapolis City Council members failed to overturn the mayor’s veto of the Labor Standards Board during a vote on Thursday.

What to know

In November, the Minneapolis City Council voted in favor of creating the Labor Standards Board (LSB), but Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey issued a veto, sending the proposal back to the city council for a vote.

During a meeting on Thursday, Minneapolis City Council members voted on whether to overturn the veto, which requires a two-thirds majority, or nine people voting in favor. Council members voted 8-5 in favor, which failed the majority needed, and sustained the mayor’s veto. 

When the ordinance passed the council previously, it did so by a vote of 9-3, with council members Linea Palmisano, Michael Rainville and LaTrisha Vetaw voting against its creation.

Council members Andrea Jenkins and Jamal Osman, who initially voted in favor of the board, voted no on Thursday. 

Mayor Frey is expected to speak after the city council concludes their meeting on Thursday. You can watch the press conference live in the player above. 

Background

The proposal would task a 15-member panel with making recommendations to the city council regarding business wages, benefits, working conditions and more. The council would then vote on the regulations, which would then head to Frey for approval.

The appointed panel would consist of representatives for employees, businesses and workplace experts. It would cost taxpayers $150,000 per year, which would pay for the salary of a coordinator.

While supporters said the effort would give workers a voice on workplace conditions, business owners feared it could create costly hurdles from people who have never run a business before.