Mayor Frey Turns His Back on Workers, Vetoes Labor Standards Board

Last week, the Minneapolis City Council passed a Labor Standards Board with a veto-proof majority. The Mayor vetoed it anyway.

MINNEAPOLIS — On June 22nd, 2022, Mayor Jacob Frey was happy to preen for the press on the steps of City Hall, flanked by workers as he proclaimed, “It is the cities that embrace…the futures of workers that will ultimately be successful. A big part of that is making sure we have a labor standards board that is valuing the input of workers.” Today, he vetoed the Labor Standards Board and turned his back on the workers he once claimed to support.

Ordinance authors Council Vice President Aigha Chughtai, Council Member Aurin Chowdhury and Council Member Katie Cashman have worked tirelessly with city staff, businesses and labor to create a Labor Standards Board that could bring different groups to the table to make smart, industry-specific policy recommendations to the City Council. But for a small handful of businesses and industry lobbyists, giving workers an equal seat at the table is a bridge too far. They have mounted an aggressive campaign in the press and behind the scenes to pressure the Mayor. It worked, and after today’s veto, workers finally know where the Mayor really stands.

Mpls for the Many Chair Chelsea McFarren had this to say about Mayor Frey’s decision to veto the Labor Standards Board:

Over the past few months, we have seen Mayor Frey repeatedly use his veto pen as a political tool, using it on ordinances that pass with a veto-proof majority, including policies, like the Labor Standards Board, that he once publicly supported. But for the Mayor, this isn’t about good policy or doing what’s best for the city. It’s an attempt to score political points against a City Council that is uplifting working people, something he has failed to do in his two terms in office. For Mayor Frey, his political future is more important than the future of workers. And that’s bad news for the future of Minneapolis.