Minneapolis Labor Standards Board: Open letter to Aurin Chowdhury, Ward 12 Council Member

Dave email to CM Chowdhury 11/25

Adopted with no public hearings????

The proponents, and I know you were in the lead, must have acted in great fear of what businesses actually affected would have had to say about this.

Of course they have said a lot in other forums.

Since the election of 2017 Minneapolis has had a very anti-business city council.

How will you fund the DSA’s agenda when not only in the aftermath of downtown property declines, but also driving out small businesses?

Aurin, we need much better from the current city council.

Dave

CM Chowdhury email to Dave 11/26

Dave,

We followed the process to a T. There is no public hearing for a resolution to create an advisory board and this process is something this council voted on and adopted in our boards and commissions ordinance unanimously.

I am not afraid of anything that businesses have to say. That is why we have done not one, but 3 separate stakeholder engagements with local businesses and the large representatives such as the downtown council, chamber of commerce, and MN hospitality. They have also said their piece in the media, they have come and testified in other public hearings, and I will also state that there in fact are high road employers who support this or are not in opposition.

I am not afraid of anything that they have to say because I know an advisory board that creates a place for worker voices is necessary, won’t shutter businesses, and will be robust and helpful to the policymaking process. What I am afraid of is the anti-worker supreme court and Elon musk’s attempts to dismantle the National Labor Relations Board. The federal rollbacks on labor protections are at America’s doorstep. I am going to double down on protecting every day people in their workplaces through common sense, sector specific, labor standards policy that will be studied and advised to us by a Labor standards board in Minneapolis—good for people, good for the economy.

At the end of the day, if an employer is treating their workers fairly and well they will not be the subject of any labor standard change because it will not be necessary. However, there are actors in our city who are creating egregious workplace environments and I intend to hold them accountable.

All the best,

Aurin

Open Letter to Cm Chowdhury, Ward 12 11/29

Dear Aurin,

As always, I appreciate your prompt reply, and your direct and thorough message.

We’re not going to agree on this one, however, not even a little.

Just because a resolution does not require a public hearing, nothing precludes the council from allowing those directly and substantially affected by a measure to speak directly to the Council. Denying business owners a voice is more than insulting, it strongly reinforces the impression that the Council really doesn’t care what they think, and isn’t too concerned about the harm they are about to do to people who just want to make a living, and provide jobs for people providing goods and services to our local community.

Of course, 82 business owners, 23 of them BIPOC, did try to get your attention with a letter to the Council. Perhaps there are indeed “some” employers who support this or are not in opposition. Can you name 82 such “high road” business owners who think the Labor Relations Board is a really dandy idea?

It will be interesting to see which five business owners even agree to serve on the Board, since it is so obvious what a stacked deck they will face. Why would they expect the “community stakeholders,” at least those appointed by the City Council, would be any less anti-business than the current and recent Councils themselves have been? CM Chavez, in his Nov. 14 tirade, saying among many other things that businesses should be “thankful” just to have been included might have been the most anti-business speech ever given in City Council chambers! I didn’t hear Wonsley, Ellison, Jamal, Cashman, Chugtai, Koski, or Chowdhury rise to oppose his inflammatory, anti-business remarks.

There are a number of legitimate worker interests that city, state and federal governments should protect. Why, if only we had a minimum wage law, and an even higher minimum wage ordinance. If only we had laws preventing wage theft. If only we had legally-enforceable safety protections. If only the law required fair employment practices. If only there were laws assuring workers the right to choose collective bargaining. What a better world it would be for everyday working people.

Oh wait. We have all those things!

While the pronounced anti-business proclivities of the City Council began before your time, with the election of 2017, it’s the current council that, even more than its predecessors, seems to start with the assumption that all business are bad and need close oversight. (No less, from people who themselves have never owned or managed any substantial enterprise.)

Instead, I’d ask you to think about Parkway Pizza, a local business we both like, that’s within walking distance of each of our homes. This enterprise has served its neighborhood for a long time, by treating customers and employees well.

Most city businesses are like Parkway Pizza; they are owned and managed by good people who want to build a good life for themselves, their employees and their customers. Beyond doubt, there are those “actors….who are creating egregious workplace environments” who you intend to hold accountable. I hope you do. By enforcing the many laws and regulations intended to expose the bad actors and impose consequences.

Most residents received a property tax notice showing a double-digit increase for 2025. Almost certainly a similar increase will be necessary in 2026. (One hopes those notices come out before the election.) Property taxes come only from two sources: businesses and residents. Given this, why isn’t the City Council doing everything it can to promote, not get in the way of, a strong business climate? Why is it putting barriers in place to business success, instead of knocking down any impediment it can?

These are not rhetorical questions.

David J. Therkelsen