News on our policy work

Greetings! First off, last week’s Lunch with Leaders, focused on downtown real estate development, was great. Highlights included an update from the Saint Paul Downtown Alliance on both their Downtown Investment Strategy and their recent study on the viability of converting certain underperforming commercial buildings for future residential use. 

Over the course of the last week, we also have updates on two policy priorities we’ve been focused on. First off, good news on the proposed drive-thru ban in Saint Paul. The City Council chose to table the issue until the Fall of 2025. We look forward to working with the Council over the coming months to find common ground on this issue. 

Our second update is not good news. Last week the Minneapolis City Council voted to create a new Labor Standards Board. This proposed board aims to impose a broad array of new regulations and standards on businesses. Decisions about staffing, wages, benefits, and training will be taken away from employers and given to this board. We value and promote healthy, safe, and equitable work environments. I make this a priority in our organization, as do other employers we know and represent. We oppose this policy because it will create further burdens on the employer community through another level of unelected regulatory bureaucracy. Visit Minneapolis Works Together to learn more information. And if you want to weigh in, we invite you to sign onto this letter opposing the Labor Standards Board. 

Advocacy is a critical role for your chamber to play, because it directly supports the economic vitality of our region. That said, we don’t always agree. Please know we invite your voice into these conversations and work hard on your behalf. Your voice does matter!

See you in the trenches.​

B