MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) – The Minneapolis City Council will vote on a controversial measure on Thursday that has drawn ire from the business community.

The proposal, which would create a Labor Standards Board, would task a 15-member panel with making recommendations to the city council and mayor about wages, benefits, working conditions and other regulations.

What we know

The appointed panel would consist of representatives for employees, businesses and workplace experts. It would cost taxpayers $150,000 per year, which would pay for the salary of a coordinator.

While supporters said the effort would give workers a voice, business owners feared it would create costly hurdles.

“We really don’t know what to expect,” said David Benowitz, president of Craft and Crew Hospitality, which owns two restaurants in Minneapolis. “I fear that the little profits we do make in Minneapolis aren’t going to be there anymore, and we may have to reconsider how we’re operating.”

Other business owners echoed a similar sentiment at a news conference on Tuesday.

“The city council simply is not listening,” said Jared Brewington.

But supporters said the proposal would involve several stakeholders.

What city leaders are saying

“It’s more of a democratic process than it is a top-down mandate,” said Ward 7 Council Member Katie Cashman, one of the measure’s three co-sponsors. “I get it. That industry has very slim margins. It is a really tough industry to be in. They have struggled so much from the pandemic and are still trying to come back….”

The proposal is co-sponsored by Council Members Aisha Chughtai, Aurin Chowdhury and Katie Cashman.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mayor Jacob Frey’s office said: “The mayor has long supported a Labor Standards Board that is balanced, but the council’s proposal is not. This lack of balance has led the business community to pull out and not participate. This doesn’t work. The mayor’s position is simple: get participation from both business and labor and pass a balanced board that can benefit good governance.”

MINNEAPOLIS — Squeezed or not, Minneapolis shoppers are gearing up for the holidays.

“It’s going to cost a boatload, for sure,” said Dalon Mitchell of Minneapolis.

According to the 2024 Deloitte Minneapolis Holiday Retail Survey, they are expecting to spend 15% more to celebrate the holidays this year.

That comes out to $1,717. Here’s how it breaks down:

• $570 for gifts
• $438 for decor and apparel (like matching Christmas jammies)
• $709 for experiences, including holiday events and socializing with loved ones

Even traditional ways to save cost more.

“Vintage is getting more expensive, I will say that,” said Darien Neff of Minneapolis.

Neff is among those buying fewer gifts, shopping for fewer people, and even cutting back on non-essentials like dining out and travel. 

“It kind of loses its charm throughout the years,” Neff said. “At first, we’re like, ‘Oh my gosh,’ we just have that child-like wonder. And now I’m getting older so I’m like just trying to make it through the day (laughs)!”

In order to save, shoppers’ habits are changing, but parents are still willing to overspend on their kids.

“Normally, maybe I might do a Black Friday. I kind of have to, to get my kids stuff and if I want to donate or if I can donate,” said Azul Price of St. Paul.

“I’ve got sons, you know, so the first thing they’re going to think of is like, ‘Hey this is what I want, Dad,’ and I’ll be like, ‘OK, let me make room for that,’” Mitchell said.

According to Deloitte, Minneapolis shoppers are slightly more optimistic about the economy, with 42% expecting the economy to improve next year. That’s up from 28% last year.

“I’m hopeful about a lot of things, that’s just me though,” Neff said. “I think it’s just me sometimes!”

The survey showed people expect to splurge on electronics and clothing. And they’ll do their shopping away from stores.

According to the survey, 47% of people plan to shop on their phones, while 9% say they’ll purchase gifts through social media-targeted ads.

The Minneapolis City Council could vote next month on a resolution that, if adopted, would urge authorities to not seek charges against pro-Palestinian student protestors arrested on the University of Minnesota campus.

A group of students on Oct. 21 marched to Coffman Memorial Union and occupied Morrill Hall to protest the University’s investments and ties to Israel and demand the liberation of Gaza.

Despite these protesters being seen allowing people in Morrill Hall to evacuate safely, 11 of them were arrested, and students were given an interim suspension from the University, barring them from attending class; those who lived in student housing were evicted.

The resolution put forward by Council Member Robin Wonsley, Ward 2, expresses “solidarity with nonviolent campus activism opposing war and supporting Palestinian human rights” and urges no charges be filed against those arrested on Oct. 21.

The resolution is set to be brought to the Committee of the Whole on Dec. 3.