Members, this is an update to what is going on in Minneapolis. The city council passed the measure 9-3 on November 14th but Mayor Frey can still veto the measure.
MLBA President Tim Mahoney was on the November 18th Chad Hartman Show on WCCO AM. Click here to listen to the podcast(starts about 2 minutes in).
Tim Mahoney owns The Loon with locations in downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul. Tim joined Chad with harsh criticism of the Minneapolis city council and the Labor Standards Board which he says are making things very difficult for small business owners still struggling to survive.
Media Links:
- Click here to listen to the Podcast (Nov 18th)
- Click here for a report from KARE11 on the letter we sent opposing the Labor Relations Board (Nov 20th)
- Click here for a report on the Labor Relations Board vote from WCCO TV (Nov. 14th)
- Click here for a StarTribune article on how business is being affected in Minneapolis now (Nov. 16th).
———————
Below is an email we sent out to our members in Minneapolis on November 18th:
ACTION ALERT!! DEADLINE: 4pm 11/19/24!
Minneapolis license holders,
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
We are asking you to sign on to a letter opposing the Labor Standards Board which passed the Minneapolis City Council on November 14. If implemented, this newly created board, which is heavily weighted against the business community and was passed without any public testimony, will fast-track new policies and regulations on training, wages, and much more.
The voices of businesses are critical to encourage Mayor Frey to veto the measure and show that we are united against this burdensome new board. Now is the time to take a stand!
HOW YOU CAN HELP: Sign onto THIS LETTER opposing the Labor Standards Board
YOUR VOICE MATTERS! Thank you for your support, and please reach out with any questions.
—
Tony Chesak
MLBA Executive Director
[email protected]
The text of the letter is below, but you can click here to sign and send the letter.
To Mayor Frey & the Minneapolis City Council:
Businesses of all shapes and sizes are vital to the future of our city, and the Minneapolis Labor Standards Board puts both the success of our businesses and the revitalization of our city in jeopardy. Minneapolis already has strong worker protections, and handing power to an unelected board that will fast-track harmful new regulations is not a real solution.
This Minneapolis Labor Standards Board was passed without allowing for public testimony, and through a process that ignored what little feedback was allowed to be given from businesses. It’s unfair and works against the businesses that keep our city moving. Plus, we believe this Board is unfairly weighted against the voice of business while directly impacting how we operate every day, without taking into account how different businesses operate, even within the same sector.
We, the undersigned, as part of the Minneapolis business community, do not support the Labor Standards Board and do not see a path forward for a meaningful seat at this unbalanced table. Let’s instead work together on real solutions that grow our economy, create good jobs, and keep Minneapolis strong.
MLBA Testifies Against Mpls Labor Standards Board
MLBA was well represented November 14th at City Hall. Testifying was MLBA President Tim Mahoney of The Loon Cafe and member Noel Casey of Cardinal Bar at a Budget Hearing to plead with the City Council to vote NO on the Labor Standards Board proposal.
It’s unnecessary, unneeded and being shoved through with no input from the hospitality community!
We had to resort to testify in a budget committee as we’re asking, “Who’s going to pay for this initiative?” We were not even given our own hearing to capture public testimony! Click here to see the hearing in Youtube (Mahoney starts at around the 21 minute mark)
Below is a transcript of the testimony that was given by MLBA President and owner of The Loon in downtown:
Good morning, my name is Tim Mahoney. I’m the owner of the Loon Cafe in downtown Minneapolis. We’ve been part of the landscape of the business community for over 42 years. I’m also the chair of the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association and I also used to chair the Warehouse Dostrict Business Association of over ten years.
The question I have for the City Council and those who are driving this Labor Relations Board agenda is: “Why?” What did we do?”; “What have we done?”; “What haven’t we done?”; “How are we gonna pay for this?”; “Who’s going to be on it?”
All these questions have been raised and have NOT been answered.
Now we look forward to moving in a different direction. We’re going to fight this the best way we know how. We’re tired, we’ve been beaten down, We still haven’t recovered from the pandemic and now we’re going to add another agenda, another layer of business transactions that are going to be scrutinized by the City Council. Who’s gonna pay for this? How’s it going to be paid?
Again, what can we do to better the City of Minneapolis. This is not going to be the answer. Have you walked around and seen the empty storefronts? Have you been to Uptown? Have you been to Downtown? We have a lot of problems in the city and this is not going to solve them.
You need to work WITH the business community to develop businesses in the city to make them succeed. There’s not one person on my staff that would be here right now that says I don’t take care of them.
Have you ever had a person come up to you and say, “I need to be a citizen”? Have you ever had a someone come up to you and say, “My family is poor, we need help”? Have you opened your own businesses? Have you put your money on the line and have no return except to work hard. And all of a sudden you have a city that’s coming down on you. Like she was talking about taxes, everything. It’s daily.
Remember, us small businesses survive by our employees. Our employees are our lifeline to success.
Thank you.