News & Updates
No Exemptions for Exploitation: Protecting the People who Build Saint Paul
As Saint Paul considers exempting new multi-family housing from its rent control ordinance to encourage development, it has an opportunity—and a moral imperative—to ensure exploitation does not continue to occur to its residents and workers. To seize this opportunity, the most effective tool at the city’s disposal is requiring a prevailing wage on larger, new multi-family housing projects that are exempt from rent control.
Medical Assistance or Millionaire Tax Cuts: Minnesota Has a Choice
The Trump Administration is pulling a reverse Robin Hood: stealing health care from the poor to give tax cuts to the rich. How should Minnesota respond?
An Unbelievable Script
Amidst an impending recession induced by a self-defeating trade war, the rapid fire, nonsensical cuts brought about by Elon Musk and Donald Trump can be hard to track. This research brief provides an overview of the damage done to Minnesotans so far and the harm that could still be coming.
Digging a Bigger Hole: Worsening Issues with Broadband Installation Damage in Minnesota
In 2024, North Star Policy Action released “Digging into Danger,” a report focused on damage caused by underground drilling for broadband internet installation. We found that telecom installation was the leading cause of damage to buried infrastructure in the state, frequently hitting essential natural gas and electric utilities in ways that have led to dangerous, and even deadly, consequences. Now, by bringing in more recent data on underground damage in the state, we find that the problems associated with broadband installation are getting worse.
Exploited Youth: Strengthening Child Labor Protections in Minnesota
At 10 PM, a 16-year-old clocked in to their shift. They spent the next 6 hours cleaning a meat grinder with a pressure hose. At 4 AM they clocked out. At 8:50 AM, their school day started. Though this scene may sound like an excerpt from Upton Sinclair’s 1906 novel,...
The Misplaced Priorities of “Business” Leaders
Minnesota’s economy is under siege after the first month of a chaotic Trump administration. We’re in an on-again-off-again trade war with our closest neighbors, employers are planning “recession-level” layoffs, the Executive Branch is unilaterally canceling contracts...
Health Care Cuts for Working Families, Tax Cuts for the Rich: The Cost of Trump’s Budget for Minnesotans
Cutting Medicaid by Aaron Rosenthal
Diverting Dollars: The Danger of School Vouchers in Minnesota
The number of students receiving taxpayer money for vouchers to attend private or religious schools has surged in the US, growing from 12,000 at the turn of the century to over 1 million today. At the same time, evidence has mounted showing that these vouchers weaken...
Paid Family Medical Leave and Earned Sick and Safe Time: Myths and Facts
In 2023, Minnesota passed Paid Family and Medical Leave (PFML) and Earned Sick and Safe Time (ESST) to ensure workers could retain their wages and jobs when confronted with serious family and medical issues, including the birth of a new child or taking care of sick relatives. In response, opponents have falsely claimed these programs will damage Minnesota’s businesses and economy. In fact, at a time when businesses are struggling to find workers, this is the exact right time for the state to embrace PFML and ESST. Doing so will not only help workers, but also bolster businesses and expand Minnesota’s economy.
Progress and Protection: Aligning AI Innovation with Worker Welfare
Artificial Intelligence (AI) is poised to transform the workplace, offering opportunities for innovation while presenting significant challenges for Minnesota’s workers. A recent survey highlights the disconnect between employer expectations and worker experiences:...
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