ST. PAUL, MN – The Select Committee on Living Wage Jobs will be making a stop on their interim tour where they will ask workers, “How is Minnesota’s economy working for you?” At the meeting, the committee will share their findings to date and ask for community input on legislation.
Questions for workers include:
• The legislature is considering raising the minimum wage. How would this impact your family?
• Agriculture workers currently do not get overtime pay until they reach 48 hours per week. If this threshold were reduced to 40 hours, would it benefit someone in your family?
• Trends show that the majority of new jobs are temporary or in retail or service. Are good jobs hard to find in Hinckley and the surrounding communities? What would improve this?
“Those who can afford lobbyists have already weighed in on these issues in St. Paul, and we know where they stand,” said Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley). “Our Committee is about workers in Minnesota, and we want to hear directly from workers in the Hinckley area about their jobs—what’s working and what’s not.”
The committee will be joined by Hinckley Representative Tim Faust.
"As Minnesota's economy continues to recover, we need to make sure that we are not leaving people behind. We continue to see lower unemployment numbers and positive job numbers for the state, but that doesn't mean every area is doing as well as others. This hearing will give us a chance to talk to workers in our area and ask them about their jobs or their work situations."
WHO: The Select Committee on Living Wage Jobs, Rep. Tim Faust, and area workers
WHAT: Meeting on how to improve economic conditions for workers in the Hinckley area
WHERE: Local 49 Training Center, 40276 Fishtail Road, Hinckley, MN 55037
WHEN: Wednesday, January 22, 2014, 10:00 am
Community members are encouraged to attend the meeting and share their ideas. If you would like to testify, please contact the committee administrator, Matthew Bergeron at 651-296-5413 or at matthew.bergeron@house.mn.
Rep. Winkler can be reached by phone at (612) 991-4498 or by email at rep.ryan.winkler@house.mn. Follow the Select Committee on Twitter @livingwagejobmn.