A Labor Standards Board ordinance is scheduled to be voted on by City Council in two days after it passed in committee on Nov. 6 with a vote of 4-2. A coalition of retailers and commerce organizations are asking City Council to not approve the ordinance.

"We will not be participating in the MLSB, should this proposal move forward,” reads a press release by Minneapolis Works Together.

The stated goal of the Labor Standards Board is to “provide a forum for the City to engage with employers, workers, community stakeholders, and their representatives and to collaborate on matters related to workplace regulations and standards.”

The Minneapolis Works Together coalition includes the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, Minneapolis Downtown Council, Hospitality Minnesota and Minnesota Retailers Association.

Small business owners are planning to join the Minneapolis Works Together coalition today at 12:30 p.m. before a City Council committee meeting.

Businesses have many grievances about the Labor Standards Board including the broad argument that “decisions about staffing, wages, benefits, training and more will be taken away from employers and given to an unelected, unaccountable board,” per the Minneapolis Works Together site.

The board’s make-up is a sticking point for Mayor Jacob Frey as well, who is on record supporting a labor stands board, but not the one the City Council is proposing. Frey wants to appoint 50% of the board, whereas the council’s proposal is giving him 20%. The proposed board will be made up of employees, business owners, and other stakeholders.

The Labor Standards Board ordinance is subject to a mayoral veto, a move Frey has exercised in the recent past.