Minnesota AFL-CIO President Bill McCarthy issued the following statement on yesterday’s passage of the House Jobs Bill:
“No matter what we look like or where we live, working Minnesotans want jobs that can provide for themselves and families, safer workplaces, time to care for themselves and their families, and some extra economic security during difficult times like the current pandemic.
“The Omnibus Jobs Bill that passed the Minnesota House begins to deliver on these aspirations and more. From Paid Family & Medical Leave, emergency paid leave, stronger meat processing safety standards, expanded unemployment protections for pandemic-impacted workers, & much more, this bill delivers. We commend the House majority for taking bold action to protect workers in every corner of our state.
“We urge Senators to agree to these urgently needed provisions in conference committee.”
Minnesota AFL-CIO-supported provisions in the bill include:
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A Paid Family and Medical Leave social insurance program providing job protection and partial wage replacement for workers taking up to 12 weeks of leave to care for their own or a loved one’s serious medical condition or to bond with a new child.
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Repeal of the law excluding high school students from eligibility for Unemployment Insurance (UI).
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Ending the exclusion of hourly school employees from eligibility for UI.
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Continued waiver of the one-week nonpayable waiting period to access UI benefits until September 4, 2021.
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Continuing UI eligibility for a leave of absence due to COVID-19 until September 4, 2021.
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The Emergency Rehire and Retention Act to ensure laid-off workers in industries hit hard by the pandemic can get their jobs back.
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Department of Labor & Industry OSHA proposals, including federal penalty conformity, operating adjustment, and making violations public. Together, these proposals enhance the agency’s ability to ensure workplace safety.
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Require outside contractors at oil refineries to have apprenticeship-level training.
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Safe Workplaces for Meat and Poultry Processing Workers to provide needed protections for workers in a dangerous industry.
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Earned Sick and Safe Time so workers can take paid time off when they are sick or in a dangerous situation.
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The Essential Workers Emergency Leave Act to provide paid quarantine leave for workers on the front lines of the pandemic.
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Department of Labor & Industry OSHA proposals, including federal penalty conformity, operating adjustment, and making violations public. Together, these proposals enhance the agency’s ability to ensure workplace safety.