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House DFL Leader Paul Thissen applauds Mayor Hodges Working Families Agenda

Thursday, April 2, 2015
 
Saint Paul, Minnesota – Today in her State of the City speech, Mayor Betsy Hodges announced that Minneapolis will be moving forward with an agenda that supports working families that includes earned sick and safe time, fair scheduling, and wage theft protections. Several of these workplace polices are part of the Working Parents Act, authored by House DFL Leader Paul Thissen.
 
House DFL Leader Paul Thissen released the following statement, applauded Mayor Hodges for moving forward with an agenda that responds to the real challenges facing working parents and families.
 
“Workplace policies in Minnesota and this country haven’t kept up with the realities of today’s economy. Too often parents and families are put in the impossible choice of caring for a loved one or forgoing a paycheck. I applaud Mayor Hodges for taking strides in Minneapolis to give parents and families more economic security and a better life.
 
The Minnesota Legislature should be moving forward with an agenda that is squarely on the side of hardworking Minnesotans. If we are serious about listening to Minnesotans, and responding to the challenges in their daily lives, then we should pass the Working Parents Act.”
 
The Working Parents Act includes five legislative proposals:
 
Earned Sick and Safe Time: Over 1 million working Minnesotans lack access to paid sick time. The Working Parents Act would guarantee Minnesota workers have access to earned sick and safe time to care for themselves, a sick child, or a loved one, or to seek services due to domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault.
 
Paid Family Leave: Only 13% of Minnesotans have access to paid family leave, meaning workers are often forced to choose between their families and their jobs. The Working Parents Act would create an insurance program to provide all Minnesota employees with a percentage of their wages for up to 6 weeks so they can afford to take time off to bond with a new child, care for an elder or seriously-ill family member, or deal with pregnancy-related health concerns.
 
Putting a Stop to Wage Theft: Wage theft occurs when workers who are denied overtime pay, refused pay for hours worked, or paid less than the minimum wage. The Working Parents Act would crack down on wage theft by increasing penalties for wage theft, extending the statute of limitations on all wage theft to 6 years, and protecting workers from employer retaliation.
 
Scheduling Fairness and Flexibility: Many Minnesota workers lack a predictable work schedule which can affect economic security and stability for families. The Working Parents Act would ensure more predictability in scheduling for workers, limit last-minute or on-call shifts, and protect workers from employer retaliation.
 
Tip Fairness for Servers: Several Minnesota restaurants in recent years have deducted the cost of credit and debit card transaction fees from servers’ tips. The Working Parents Act would prohibit businesses from deducting credit card processing fees from tips that are earned by servers and make sure that tips given by a customer go into the pockets of hardworking Minnesotans.
 
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