Opinion
What Business Leaders Need to Do Next in Minnesota.
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As seen in: Forbes
By Michael Posner
A number of Minnesota CEOs are watching their quarterly numbers sink in real time. Hotel occupancy is down 60%. Restaurant revenues are plummeting. Employees are afraid to come to work. This isn’t just a policy debate anymore—it’s also a bottom-line crisis.
Here’s what the business community has done about it: 60 corporate members of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce issued a joint public statement on January 25, the day after Alex Pretti was killed. It called for “an immediate de-escalation of tensions and for state, local and federal officials to work together to find real solutions.” The business leaders urged officials to find a “swift and durable solution” to address what they termed a “difficult moment for our community.”
While they were crafting this very careful statement, Minneapolis hospitality businesses were struggling and the Twin Cities was experiencing the first general strike in the United States in 80 years. This is more than a “difficult moment”—it’s a social, political and economic emergency that requires urgent action.
Read the full Forbes article.
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Michael Posner is the Jerome Kohlberg Professor of Ethics and Finance, Professor of Business and Society and Director of the NYU Stern Center for Business and Human Rights.