St. Paul Minimum Wage Study Committee
> Final Report: Saint Paul Minimum Wage Study Committee
The Citizens League convened an independent study committee to answer key questions surrounding a minimum wage ordinance in the City of Saint Paul. The study committee, whose members have been selected by the Citizens League, represented a balance of different perspectives on this issue. Their charge was to review previous scoping work, review other relevant research, agree on findings and conclusions from this effort, and finally, develop and put forward recommendations for a minimum wage ordinance to the City.
> Click here to read the full report.
The study committee met regularly from May 2018 to August 2018. Committee meetings were open to be observed by the public.
> Video: Citizens League presents Minimum Wage Study recommendations to Saint Paul City Council
On September 12, Citizens League Executive Director Pahoua Hoffman, Policy Director Angelica Klebsch, and study committee co-chairs B Kyle, President & CEO of the Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce, and Rick Varco, Political Director of SEIU Healthcare MN, provided details on the recommendations and the process that led to the report. This presentation was followed by input from community members attending the meeting.
> News & Media
From November 2017 to November 2018, stories in the press surrounding the work of the committee and a potential wage ordinance in St. Paul were prevalent. Click here to see the coverage. The articles and online posts surrounding the minimum wage are not endorsed nor approved by the study committee. They are posted here simply to provide context surrounding the committee’s work. Because the committee’s work has come to a close, and the City of Saint Paul has enacted a minimum wage ordinance, this page is no longer updated as of 11/19/2018.
Phase 1 Scoping Project Report
The Citizens League was commissioned by The Saint Paul Foundation to help the city of St. Paul, its employers and employees, and residents explore questions related to and potential impacts of raising the minimum wage.
From November 2017 to February 2018, the Citizens League conducted a scoping project to identify the key questions, resources, and stakeholders that would need to be part of a larger potential effort in 2018 to answer these questions and propose an implementation plan for the city of St. Paul on this issue.
Study Committee Members & Affiliations
- B. Kyle, President/CEO, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce
- Rick Varco, Political Director, SEIU Healthcare MN
(In alphabetical order)
- Bob Brick, President/CEO, Ally People Solutions
- Samuel Callahan, Cook, Taco Bell
- Dillon Donnelly, Saint Paul resident & Director of Business Development, Donnelly Custom Manufacturing
- Paris Dunning, Director of the East Side Area Business Association (ESABA)
- Mr. Barry Gisser, CFO, Science Museum of Minnesota, Citizens League Member (member since 2014)
- Matt Gray, Server, WA Frost Restaurant
- Jon Grebner, Political Action Director, AFSCME Council 5
- Matt Halley, Executive Director, Cookie Cart
- Doug Hennes, VP, Government Relations and Special Projects, University of St. Thomas
- Ms. Mary Hicks, Principal Gift Officer, University of Minnesota Office of Institutional Advancement, Citizens League Member (member since 1991)
- Sarah Kopp-Reddy, Server, Pizza Luce
- Andrew Kopplin, Owner, Kopplins Coffee Shops
- Rebecca Lucero, Public Policy Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
- Tim Mahoney, Saint Paul resident and Owner of The Loon Cafe
- Veronica Mendez Moore, Co-Director, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL)
- Oscar Murcia, Owner, El Guanaco Bakery Y Cafe
- Kera Peterson, Political Director/Campaign Manager, Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation
- Sam Peterson, Owner, Kyatchi
- Pang Vang, Owner, Rainbow Health Kare, Inc.
Project Information
Meeting Times & Locations
The study committee will meet regularly from May 2018 to August 2018, with final recommendations delivered by the end of August. Committee meetings are open to be observed by the public.
> Click here for a full listing of meeting times & locations.
Meeting materials and minutes will be posted below when they become available.
All future meetings are from 8:30am-10:30am at the St. Thomas Campus.
June 7th City of St. Paul Facilitated Input Session, Arlington Recreation Center
August 4 City of St. Paul Facilitated Input Session, Metropolitan State University
Study Committee Meeting Materials
May 10, 2018
May 17, 2018
University of St. Thomas, 100 McNeely Hall
- Agenda
- Presentation: Update: Summary Statistics on the Minimum Wage, by Thomas Durfee, University of Minnesota
- Presentation on the “Benefits Cliff”: Using CDF-MN’s Economic Stability Indicator to Analyze Effects of $15 wage on Economic Stability, by Stephanie Hogenson, Children’s Defense Fund-Minnesota
- Article: Why, amid the push for higher minimum wages, talking about a ‘benefits cliff’ has become so controversial – MinnPost, 4/25/2018
- Survey Results: Goal of the Minimum Wage — 17 participants from the Minimum Wage Study Committee
- High Level City Wage Comparison, from the City of Minneapolis
- Minutes (approved 5/24/2018)
May 24, 2018
University of St. Thomas, 100 McNeely Hall
- Agenda
- New Committee Member Bio: Paris Dunning, Director of the East Side Area Business Association (ESABA)
- Community Report
- Presentations from the City of Minneapolis:
- Staff Report on a Minimum Wage Policy, by Jeff Schneider, Strategic Management Team, City Coordinator’s Office, City of Minneapolis
- Labor Standards Enforcement Annual Report, by Brian Walsh, Supervisor, Labor Standards, Department of Civil Rights, City of Minneapolis
- Presenter Links:
- Study Committee Survey Results
- Related news articles:
- St. Paul Parks and Rec would be hit hardest by $15-an-hour minimum, Pioneer Press, 5/21/2018
- House supplemental budget bill would create statewide ‘tip credit’ in Minnesota, MinnPost, 5/18/2018
May 31, 2018
University of St. Thomas, O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Room 108
- Agenda
- Presentation: Minimum Wage Laws: A Brief History and Overview, by C. Snoden Stieber, J.D. Candidate, University of Minnesota Law
- Minutes (approved 6/7/2018)
June 7, 2018
University of St. Thomas, Anderson Student Center, Room 340
- Agenda
- Presentation: Minimum Wage Data Update, by Thomas Durfee, University of Minnesota
- Minutes (approved 6/14/2018)
June 14, 2018
University of St. Thomas, Anderson Student Center, Room 340
June 21, 2018
University of St. Thomas, McNeely Hall, Room 100
June 28, 2018
University of St. Thomas, McNeely Hall, Room 100
- Agenda
- Community Learning Guidelines
- Meeting Minutes (approved 7/12/2018)
July 12, 2018
University of St. Thomas, McNeely Hall, Room 100
- Meeting Packet
- Meeting Minutes (approved 7/19/2018)
July 19, 2018
University of St. Thomas, McNeely Hall, Room 100
- Agenda
- Exemptions Overview, presentation by Snowden Stieber, Citizens League legal intern
- Statement by ChueKongPheng Xiong, Senior at Johnson High School and Urban Roots Employee
- Statement of context for petition, from 15 Now
- Washington Post: Majority of D.C. Council moves to overturn tipped-wage ballot measure
- National Employment Law Project memo: St. Paul Minimum Wage Youth Exemption
- National Employment Law Project fact sheet: Excluding St. Paul’s Young Workers from a $15 Minimum Wage Is Bad Policy
- Minutes (approved 7/26/2018)
July 26, 2018
University of St. Thomas, Anderson Student Center, Room 340
The committee’s public input period has concluded.