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This Just In: Minneapolis City Council Meeting Over $15/Hour Minimum Wage Rate Gets Heated


Earlier today, a Minneapolis City Council's Committee of the Whole hearing got a bit contentious as the Council discussed whether to put a minimum wage proposal on the November ballot to raise the minimum wage rate to $15/hour by 2022.  A group in support of the ballot initiative had collected signatures on a petition over recent months, in support of a $15/hour minimum wage rate.  

As the Committee discussed the issue, supporters of the $15/hour minimum wage rate that had packed into the Council's chambers started booing Committee members that spoke against a vote and subsequently started chanting "Let the people vote."  Throughout the session, these minimum wage advocates continually disrupted the proceedings with boos and chants, and at one point forced the Committee to adjourn briefly because of the disruptions.  The preliminary vote was 10 - 2 in support of keeping the minimum wage proposal off the November ballot.  While the Committee did not decide the issue today beyond the preliminary vote, a final decision is set for this coming Friday.

Note, that the Minneapolis City Attorney recommended late last month that the $15/hour minimum wage amendment should be left off the ballot.  In essence, the City Attorney, Susan Segal, wrote an advisory legal opinion and stated that the minimum wage increase proposal does not meet the requisite legal requirements and ultimately was an ordinance disguised as a charter amendment.  As a result, Segal stipulated that the minimum wage measure should not be on the November ballot.

Interesting to see how this plays out.  This is one of the more heated discussions that has resulted in recent memory when it comes to the minimum wage fight.  With that being said, it would not surprise me if the City Council relied upon Segal's opinion and held that the minimum wage increase proposal should not be on the November ballot.  The 10 - 2 vote today by the Committee certainly seems to indicate which way this might go.  With that being said, we'll see come Friday what the Council decides to do...



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