2023 Legislative Priorities

Following nearly a decade of divided government, Labor-endorsed Governor Tim Walz and pro-Labor majorities in both the House and Senate are now leading state government, presenting a historic opportunity for working Minnesotans. The Minnesota AFL-CIO is ready to lead with bold legislative priorities to create a more just and equitable state for working people, no matter what we look like, where we work, or where we live.

 

We believe that all workers should have the freedom to care for themselves and the people they love without having to sacrifice a paycheck. Too often workers, especially people of color and workers in Greater Minnesota, are forced to immediately go back to work following the birth or adoption of a child, go into debt during a long-term illness, or not be there when a sick loved one needs care. The time for a state-administered universal Paid Family & Medical Leave Program has come.  With a broad statewide pool covering all workers, and a modest shared premium, we can level the playing field for both workers and small businesses, while addressing our state’s racial and geographic economic disparities.

 

In 2013, the Minnesota AFL-CIO successfully led the effort to include Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in the state’s Workers’ Compensation program. While first responders now qualify for PTSD-related claims, healthcare workers like nurses do not. Given the challenges that healthcare workers face, both during and after the pandemic, it’s time for nurses to qualify for PTSD-related workers’ compensation. It’s also time to update our workers’ compensation system. Far too many workers experience out of pocket costs and delays for important procedures due to antiquated rules.

 

In less than three years, Minnesota and the rest of the nation experienced a global pandemic, racial reckoning, and threats to democracy. In that wake, workers are standing up and fighting for rights and a voice in the workplace in ways not seen in more than a generation. These workers are fighting back against economic injustice and energizing the labor movement with unparalleled enthusiasm and commitment. All workers should have the right to organize and collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, but all too often, employers find ways within and around our labor laws to block workers from exercising those rights. We will work to remove barriers to organizing and to strengthen workers’ rights to collectively bargain.

 

We support our affiliated unions and community allies in moving their legislative priorities: