2019-09-16 EDA Minutes (signed) - Laserfiche WebLink

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REDA Meeting Minutes—Monday,September 16,2019 Page 9 leanings. Recently, as of July 2019, wage theft law has been modified and it is absolutely illegal and pursuant to Minnesota Statutes 181.101 and 181.103. Furthermore, Statute 177.3 explicitly states "Responsible contractors should keep records dating back three years to verify they have remained compliant to State Labor Laws." She knew that it was first stated that the company has stats and data stating that the employees are treated well and happy but it is easy to "fluff' the numbers when talking about a group of people that might not be on the books, who are under the table so are those people included in the stats and data. She hoped the Council was also seeking that out. While not named in the lawsuit specifically, Reuter Walton has utilized subcontractors in breach of the state labor laws. Ms. Thompson believed it was irresponsible for the Council to pursue any funding for their project without first confirming Reuter Walton has committed no violations within itself or the subcontractors that it uses. Supporting this company while it potentially breaks federal and state laws, is something she finds alarming and hoped the Council will agree with her on this. She would like to know if Reuter Walton has provided any documentation to the Council referenced above to confirm that the company nor the subcontractors have violated any labor laws. If documentation has not been provided, she asked whether the city will do its due diligence to ensure employment violations such as wage theft and exploitation in the form of human trafficking have not continued since the original claim was filed. She also asked if the city will take these concerns seriously and withhold any taxpayer funded financing if Reuter Walton has been in violation or if documentation cannot be provided. Ms. Thompson asked what proactive measures are being taken or will be taken by the city to ensure these human rights violations will not be committed in Roseville whether by the city Council or the EDA. She asked whether Reuter Walton currently has the OSHA signs that should be designated at either the headquarter office or the work sites where they are so that all employees, whether documented or undocumented know what their rights are in Minnesota. These allegations are atrocious, and she hoped the Council would value people over profit. Emmitt Doyle, carpenter with Local 68 Mr. Emmitt Doyle, carpenter with Local 68, stated he was not at the meeting to bully Reuter Walton to give him a job. He explained he has a good job and he wants every carpenter to have the same rights and same protections that he has. He knows that people can treat workers the way that these workers have been treated and the companies can use that exploitation to erode the standards for construction workers on every project. His interests, as a worker, are bound up in the rights of all workers being respected. Reuter Walton has pointed out that many of their projects hire union workers. He did not think there is any amount of union jobs that erases one worker being threatened for demanding his wages. Mr. Doyle found it is not surprising that some of these workers are not in their records. If an employee is working for a subcontractor that is trafficking labor, generally speaking people who treat other human beings like a commodity do not take the best care in keeping records of their crimes and he