Saint Paul, MN – Today, the Minnesota House approved worker contracts for Minnesota state employees, legislation guaranteeing Earned Sick and Safe Time for all Minnesota workers, as well as a sweeping package of safety protections for workers at Minnesota warehouses, including at Amazon facilities.
The House approved legislation ratifying the 2020-21 Minnesota Law Enforcement Association contract and the 2022-23 contracts with AFSCME, MAPE, Middle Management Association, the State Residential Schools Education Association, Minnesota Nurses Association, and employees covered under the compensation plans (such as the Managerial Plan and Commissioners Plan). The MLEA contract includes a 2.25% across the board increase in FY20, a 2.5% increase in FY21, and incorporates legislative increases that were passed last session.
“Our state workers are the glue holding Minnesota together. They do everything from plowing our roads, to keeping us safe,” said Rep. Luke Frederick. “These contracts don’t keep up with inflation, but they are a good start. I will strongly advocate for future contracts to reflect the value of these important workers. Their success and financial stability are important to the future of our state.”
The other agreements include 2.5% across the board increases for state employees in both FY22 and FY 23. The agreements submitted by Minnesota Management and Budget cover nearly 39,000 individuals who work across state government serving the citizens of the state. The bill also ratifies contracts and plans for approximately 4,500 Minnesota State employees and faculty.
The House also approved legislation to require Minnesota employers to provide workers Earned Sick and Safe Time. The legislation would ensure, at a minimum, one hour of paid Earned Sick and Safe Time for every 30 hours worked, up to at least 48 hours per year. Upwards of 900,000 Minnesota workers, including two-thirds of workers in the lowest wage positions, lack access to paid time off when they or a family member are ill or need to go to a doctor’s appointment.
“This bill is needed because all workers should be able to take a day off if they are hurt, or sick or a loved one is hurt or sick,” said Rep. Frederick. “One hour for 30 hours of work is not enough, but it is something that will allow workers to earn time to take care of themselves or a family member.”
Earned Sick and Safe Time can be used to attend to physical and mental health needs – including illness, injury, or a doctor’s appointment – for workers and their family members. Absence following domestic abuse or sexual assault, if a job site is closed, or if a family member’s school is closed are also eligible uses. Sixteen states have adopted similar policies guaranteeing paid sick leave for workers, as have numerous cities, including Minneapolis, Saint Paul, and Duluth
Also approved was legislation to protect and empower Minnesota’s warehouse workers and to address practices that have led to high injury rates at Amazon facilities. For example, Amazon subjects their employees to quotas that change frequently and often aren’t disclosed. Employees report having to work at a grueling pace and being unable to take breaks to eat, go to the bathroom, or pray. The intense pace and pressure to meet high quotas endangers warehouse workers. According to a report by the National Employment Law Project compiled with assistance from the Awood Center, one of nine workers at Amazon warehouses in Minnesota is injured on the job. This annual injury rate is four times the injury rate for all workers in private industry, and more than double that of non-Amazon warehouses in the state.
The bill also gives warehouse workers access to their own work speed data. Workers may request the past 90 days worth of data, and their employer is obligated to share it with them in their preferred language. The same information must be shared with any worker who is disciplined or fired for failing to meet a quota.
The legislation directs the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to open an investigation into warehouses with an annual injury rate 30 percent higher than the average rate for Minnesota’s warehouse industry to determine if they are in compliance with these provisions. The employer will be required to hold monthly safety committee meetings until the injury rate at the warehouse in question drops below that level for two consecutive years.
Video recording of today’s floor debate can be found on the House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel.