SAINT PAUL, Minn. – On Tuesday, the 2023 Jobs, Economic Development and Labor Budget received final passage in the Senate. The vote sends the conference committee report to the House of Representatives, which will vote in the coming days to send the omnibus to Governor Walz to be signed into law.
Senator Jen McEwen (DFL-Duluth), chair of the Senate Labor Committee, said the bill’s safety protections and rights expansions will benefit workers in jobs of all kinds and in every corner of the state.
“This historic bill is the result of years of effort by Minnesota workers and labor organizers,” said Senator McEwen. “It is not an exaggeration to say this is the strongest pro-worker legislation passed in a generation, if not in Minnesota history. Most of the major advances we’re making with this bill have been brought to the Capitol for years. Many couldn’t even get serious consideration in a committee. This year was different. Working people brought us their concerns, their issues, and their solutions. There are provisions in this bill to help people working in construction, nursing homes, meatpacking plants, factories, warehouses, and schools. Workers will have a stronger voice at their workplace and at the bargaining table. With this legislation, the Democratic Farmer Labor majority is living up to its name and founding principles, and it has been our honor to carry on that tradition alongside our siblings in the labor movement.”
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