Dear Neighbors,
I am holding our community close to my heart as we grieve the loss of Jahmari Rice, who was shot and killed outside South Education Center in Richfield; Amir Locke, who was shot and killed by police in Minneapolis; and Deshaun Hill Jr., a 15-year-old North High student who was shot at a bus stop this week. I’m also thinking of the yet unidentified victims of gun violence in our community: the student who was seriously injured during the shooting in Richfield and the bus driver who was shot in Minneapolis on Wednesday. My heart goes out to the victims, their loved ones, and all the Minnesotans in our community who have been impacted by gun violence.
Everyone should feel safe and secure in their own home. As we’ve seen, the use of no-knock warrants jeopardizes that security and needlessly increases the dangers inherent in police work, with a disproportionate impact on communities of color. In response to the killing of Amir Locke during the execution of a no-knock warrant in Minneapolis, House DFLers, led by members of the People of Color and Indigenous (POCI) Caucus, proposed tougher restrictions on no-knock warrants this week. My colleague Rep. Athena Hollins's proposed legislation builds on the restrictions on no-knock warrants that we passed last year. It would prohibit the use of no-knock warrants in all circumstances except when there’s evidence a person’s life would otherwise be put in danger.
No one should have to endure the fear and trauma that many in our community have experienced due to gun violence. Gun violence has an impact on all of us, but it impacts communities of color, especially Black communities, and Indigenous communities the most. It is clear we need to do more to protect our kids and everyone in our community from gun violence. I will keep advocating for investments in community violence prevention, universal background checks and legislation to keep guns out of the hands of people who are proven to be a danger to themselves or others, and other proven strategies to keep all Minnesotans safe.
Support for Warehouse Workers
A few months ago, the National Employment Law Project (NELP) released a report they compiled with help from the Awood Center. It showed that Minnesotans who work at Amazon warehouses face astronomical injury and turnover rates. Workers push themselves to the brink because they’re penalized or fired if they don’t meet work speed quotas that Amazon changes frequently and sometimes doesn’t even disclose. Black workers, including many East African immigrants, make up a disproportionate share of Minnesota’s Amazon warehouse workers and therefore bear the brunt of these grueling conditions.
After hearing stories from Amazon workers and reading this report, I introduced legislation to address some of the problems they identified. HF 2774, which applies to companies with 100 or more employees at one warehouse location or 1,000 or more employees at more than one location, would:
- Require employers to notify workers of any work quotas placed upon them.
- Give workers access to their own work speed data.
- Prohibit employers from setting quotas that interfere with occupational safety standards or time required for meals, restroom breaks, or prayers.
- Require the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry to investigate if data shows a 30 percent higher than a year’s average incidence rate for occupational injuries and illness.
I joined current and former Amazon warehouse workers to lift up their stories and introduce this legislation on Wednesday. I presented the bill to the House Labor, Industry, Veterans, and Military Affairs Committee that afternoon. I’m pleased to report the committee advanced my bill, and it’s now on its way to the next committee. You can watch the hearing here.
Stay Connected
Things move quickly during the legislative session. If you’d like to stay informed, you can watch hearings and floor sessions on House Public Information Services’ YouTube channel. House Public Information Services also publishes daily updates at https://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/sessiondaily/ and on their Facebook page.
If you’d like to receive updates from me, you can sign up for these weekly newsletters here. Please feel free to share this email with family, friends, and neighbors who might be interested.
If you have questions, ideas, or feedback, you can contact me by email at rep.emma.greenman@house.mn or call (651) 296-4200. I look forward to hearing from you!
Sincerely,
Emma Greenman
State Representative