R.T. Rybak’s answers to the
Central Labor Union Screening Questionnaire
I support continued improvements
to the Living Wage policy. The loophole that existed until last week’s vote
sent a dangerous message that the city would enforce this policy for some, and
not for others. I supported closing the
loophole and believe a progressive, activist Mayor could create a true
economic development blueprint for the city that is based on creating true
economic opportunity. My background as
a union activist, and my experience as a manager in the business community,
also make be uniquely suited to promote Living Wage policies to businesses that
the city wants to attract.
I am seeking Labor’s endorsement because I believe it will be helpful in the Mayor’s race, but, more important, I am seeking a partnership with Labor that will go far beyond Election Day. I have been a union member in an organized workplace and have led my union’s Worker Participation Committee. I also have significant management experience. These experiences have given me the skills, the understanding and the desire to develop a new labor-management partnership in which the workers on the front lines become real participants in decision-making, not just people to talk to at election time. I will give more than token support to these issues. I will elevate, and be an active player in, the Citywide Labor Management Committee, and make workplace issues a key part of my administration. This is important to me personally because of my own union background, and it is important to the city because fostering a productive relationship with the Labor will be a key to averting a coming worker shortage..
I support Prevailing Wage, believe the PLAs have been a very positive development and believe the city should explore Davis Bacon-style agreements at a local level.
Privitizing services currently performed by public employees is an especially bad idea at a time when so many city employees are about to retire. With much of the private sector currently experiencing severe employee shortages, the city cannot compete if it does not focus on developing a stable, skilled workforce of its own. Privitizing services would have the opposite effect. The city’s primary focus in employment right now should be to immediately develop comprehensive workforce planning that projects employee needs for the next decade, and identifies the training and tools necessary to build our workforce. This planning must be taken seriously NOW, and completed NOW, to avert a crisis that could cause significant disruption of the existing workforce and hurt the city’s recruitment efforts. I do not believe the current administration has placed a high enough priority on this serious need, and as Mayor I will be an active, visible participant in these workforce issues.
The city has played a role before in protecting the pensions of its employees and it should be a participant in addressing the PERA funding gap.
I believe the city is providing the appropriate types of services, but am increasingly concerned that the level of services is being jeopardized by shortsighted budgeting and a lack of forward planning. A special concern is the growing infrastructure gap, which jeopardizes the city’s ability to deliver the basic services that citizens have come to expect. One of the key roles of the next Mayor will be to protect the basic public safety and public works services that are being jeopardized by the misguided fiscal priorities of the current administration. This should be an important issue for unions as they try to protect jobs, and for taxpayers as they try to protect the basic services they have come to expect. It will be a high priority for me.
I do not support shifting the property tax burden for schools from office to residential property. I support efforts to identify new funding sources for schools that do not relay as heavily on property tax, which in many cases has increased the inequity of school funding sources, often away from the very children who most need our help.
As a major employer with a progressive and diverse population, the city of Minneapolis can play a special role in providing economic opportunities for the metropolitan area. First, and foremost, it can provide living wage jobs in a pro-active workplace where workers play key roles in decision-making. Second, with growing needs for employees as the workforce ages, the city can be a significant source for training skilled workers (esp. in the trades) through partnerships with the private sector, state government and federal government. Third, it can be a leader in bringing together emerging workforce needs with the populations most in need. An example of this is a program where I have been a volunteer: The Neighborhood Technology Consortium, which provides technology training for diverse populations to help close the Digital Divide. This program, and others like it, can demonstrate that our diversity is our strength, especially at a time of labor shortages.
I will consult the Central Labor Union Council on issues of interest to the membership, but I don’t believe this relationship can be effective if there is only communication when there is a crisis. I will pursue an ongoing partnership that recognizes organized workers and their representatives can be key players in key decisions.
This isn’t empty rhetoric that I will pull out only at election time. It is part of my basic makeup, and a key part of my management philosophy. Early in my career, I had an extremely positive union experience that began during my first job interview when management presented positive, unbiased information about the union. I support incorporating this kind of information into the basic introductory packets employees receive, and will use the Mayor’s office to set a positive tone for labor management issues throughout the workplace. I believe this will also set a positive tone for relations with unions beyond City Hall, and feel my administration can send an important signal to the community that productive labor management relations make a workplace more effective.
10. What do you believe is the
appropriate use of Tax Increment Financing?
Tax increment financing is a
deeply flawed tool that is being badly overused,
but it has its place in a very limited set of circumstances because it is about the only tool the state and federal governments have left for cities to use. (I would, for example, be willing to explore its use to help address the city’s affordable housing crisis, and to complete a project that I believe is especially important to the city: A new Central Library.) The overuse of the tool has also created special burdens for others in the taxing jurisdiction, especially schools, and I support reform that would incorporate school interests into the decision-making process.
I will bring a wealth of development experience to the Mayor’s office: I have been the Downtown Council’s Development Director, a licensed real estate consultant in the private sector and a long time commercial development reporter for the Star and Tribune. I know how to get things done, and I will be the kind of leader Minneapolis has needed to compete. But I know enough to know when to say no.
I have also been a successful salesman and
marketer, with extensive experience attracting businesses to Minneapolis. I have unique skills that will make it
possible to attract private investment that creates quality, living wage jobs
without massive infusions of public money that threaten basic services.
I support using the city’s purchasing power to further its core values. This includes buying union products. Answers to other questions should also illustrate that I see additional ways that the city’s day-to-day activities can send a signal that it has a productive relationship with Labor.
As I have said above, I have hands-on experience representing workers for my union, and know from my own experience that workplace issues are best resolved with real, comprehensive participation from workers and their representatives. This includes incorporating significant input from union contracts and the trades on issues like a permit code and competency system.
My campaign strategy is based on mobilizing the many constituencies in the city that are ready for change and innovation. I already have a strong campaign team, will have the most motivated supporters in this race and am proving that I can raise the necessary funds. I want Labor to be a key ally in sending the message to its members that Minneapolis can have a new style of leadership that brings their needs to the table for a full four years….not just at election time.