In the wake of Black Friday and moving into the holiday shopping season, the progressive small business group Main Street Alliance has directed a new campaign at
Minnesotans. Entitled “Shop Your Values,” it aims to push consumers to shop at local businesses that support their political platform, which addresses issues like mandatory sick leave.
To facilitate this, the group launched a map of businesses that support earned sick time. In Minnesota, the policies are reminiscent of the Working Families Agenda. That measure received heavy criticism from both small and large local business owners — particularly its fair scheduling and minimum wage hikes, which many felt were too ambitious and rigid. The measure subsequently lost political backing.
However, according to the Main Street Alliance in Minnesota, about 90 percent of Minneapolis supports paid sick leave. Some local business owners also support such a
policy, including Toppers Pizza owner Dan Ogiba, who said he prefers “happy and healthy” workers.
Rep. Keith Ellison, D-Minn., and Minneapolis Council members Cam Gordon and Elizabeth Glidden have criticized those who view workers as a cost that must be reduced.
Instead, these politicians champion a message including the right for workers to accrue sick leave days.
We wholeheartedly support this measure and urge Minneapolis to seriously consider adopting, at minimum, mandatory sick leave for all its businesses. The right to stay home and take care of sick children — or to avoid serving others while contagious, especially in a restaurant setting — is long overdue.
