Elected officials, labor groups, and construction workers want to see the end of the labor violations in Minneapolis, most notably the practice of wage theft.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says that while it’s his job to enforce wage theft laws, he says he and his office can’t do it alone.
“We need to create a culture where doing the right thing is normal,” Ellison said. “We got to create a culture where you’re average developer will say, ‘Hey Keith, that guy over there is not following the rules like all of us are.’”
Ellison, joined by Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and other elected officials, urged three major contractors to meet with construction workers and address their concerns about rampant labor violations.
In a letter sent to Solhem Companies, Yellow Tree, and United Properties, the group said that while continued growth and development is critical, it shouldn’t happen at the expense of basic human rights.
“They’re have been at least nine criminal investigations into labor brokers in Minnesota in the last four years for charges including labor trafficking, sexual assault, and theft by swindle,” Veronica Mendez Moore, the co-director of CTUL, said at the press conference. “This is a systemic problem in the industry that needs to be changed.”
Moore says the companies that received the letter have been contacted before in recent years but have not given labor leaders a response.
