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the committee’s work has come to a close, and the City of Saint Paul has enacted a minimum wage ordinance, this page is no longer updated as of 11/19/2018.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.

> Click here to read the phase 1 report: Gathering Community Input on a Possible Minimum Wage Increase in St. Paul (pdf)

Study Committee Members & Affiliations
  1. B. Kyle, President/CEO, Saint Paul Area Chamber of Commerce
  2. Rick Varco, Political Director, SEIU Healthcare MN

(In alphabetical order)

  1. Bob Brick, President/CEO, Ally People Solutions
  2. Samuel Callahan, Cook, Taco Bell
  3. Dillon Donnelly, Saint Paul resident & Director of Business Development, Donnelly Custom Manufacturing
  4. Paris Dunning, Director of the East Side Area Business Association (ESABA)
  5. Mr. Barry Gisser, CFO, Science Museum of Minnesota, Citizens League Member (member since 2014)
  6. Matt Gray, Server, WA Frost Restaurant
  7. Jon Grebner, Political Action Director, AFSCME Council 5
  8. Matt Halley, Executive Director, Cookie Cart
  9. Doug Hennes, VP, Government Relations and Special Projects, University of St. Thomas
  10. Ms. Mary Hicks, Principal Gift Officer, University of Minnesota Office of Institutional Advancement, Citizens League Member (member since 1991)
  11. Sarah Kopp-Reddy, Server, Pizza Luce
  12. Andrew Kopplin, Owner, Kopplins Coffee Shops
  13. Rebecca Lucero, Public Policy Director, Minnesota Council of Nonprofits
  14. Tim Mahoney, Saint Paul resident and Owner of The Loon Cafe
  15. Veronica Mendez Moore, Co-Director, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en la Lucha (CTUL)
  16. Oscar Murcia, Owner, El Guanaco Bakery Y Cafe
  17. Kera Peterson, Political Director/Campaign Manager, Saint Paul Regional Labor Federation
  18. Sam Peterson, Owner, Kyatchi
  19. Pang Vang, Owner, Rainbow Health Kare, Inc.
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.

  • McNeely Hall is located at 2060 Summit Ave, St Paul, MN 55105 (map)
  • O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library is located at 1-, 39 Cleveland Ave N, St Paul, MN 55105 (map)
  • Anderson Hall is located at 2115 Summit Ave, St Paul, MN 55105 (map)
June 7th City of St. Paul Facilitated Input Session, Arlington Recreation Center
Study Committee Meeting Materials
May 24, 2018
May 31, 2018

University of St. Thomas, O’Shaughnessy-Frey Library, Room 108

June 7, 2018

University of St. Thomas, Anderson Student Center, Room 340

June 28, 2018

University of St. Thomas, McNeely Hall, Room 100

July 12, 2018

University of St. Thomas, McNeely Hall, Room 100

July 26, 2018

University of St. Thomas, Anderson Student Center, Room 340

The committee’s public input period has concluded.