The proposal would require employers to put all pay agreements in writing and provide regular written or electronic earnings statements for transparency
By Andy Mannix Star Tribune
JUNE 21, 2019 – 10:07PM
Minneapolis City Council members want to give workers more power to hold their bosses accountable for unpaid wages, following the state’s lead in improving policing of wage theft.
Before a chamber full of workers, some wearing fluorescent orange and yellow vests emblazoned with union logos, Council Members Linea Palmisano, Steve Fletcher and Phillipe Cunningham introduced a proposal Friday that would require employers to put all pay agreements in writing and provide regular written or electronic earnings statements to workers for transparency. A complementary ordinance would expand these protections to freelance workers, such as independent contractors or Uber and Lyft drivers, Fletcher said.
“No matter how people earn their income in the city of Minneapolis, we want to make sure they are paid what they’ve earned,” Fletcher said.
Fletcher praised the lawmakers and organizers who helped push the state law. “Now what we want to do is join the team,” he said.
In Minneapolis, low-wage workers of color are particularly affected by this practice, according to the ordinance authors.
Veronica Mendez Moore, co-director of Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha, said her organization has been working on the issue of wage theft for more than a decade.
The new rules would provide additional protections from retaliatory employers and create a streamlined system that allows workers to recoup wages without an attorney. Those who don’t follow the rules could face a misdemeanor charge and an escalating series of fines.
The ordinance is still in draft form, but authors say the law would likely apply to any employees who spend 80 hours per year working in Minneapolis.