The Minneapolis City Council failed Thursday to override Mayor Jacob Frey's veto of an ordinance creating a labor standards board of workers and employers that would recommend pay, safety and equity regulations for employers.

Last month, the council easily passed the ordinance by a vote of 9-3, which would have been enough to override the veto, but two council members Thursday reversed course and opposed the override: Jamal Osman and Andrea Jenkins.

Osman released a statement saying he voted to sustain Frey's veto because the measure would create "an unfair and unbalanced board after limiting public engagement with elected officials."

The board would have been composed of an equal number of business owners, employees and community stakeholders who would recommend policies to the City Council. Supporters say it will just be an advisory board to the council, which can decide whether to propose regulations. Opponents say it creates another layer of government and could hurt already struggling businesses.

Frey wants a board with a 50/50 split between employers and employees, a 50/50 split between mayoral and council appointments, and a requirement that a supermajority of the board support recommendations before they could advance to the City Council. Frey said the council's proposal was "lopsided" to the point where hundreds of businesses, including nearly all major business organizations, came out against it and said they wouldn't participate. The mayor said he's willing to negotiate with the council to create a more balanced labor standards board.

More than two years ago, Frey and a majority of council members said they supported creating a labor standards board, but they've since disagreed on how the board should be structured. In the intervening years, a growing group of local and national industry groups mounted an advertising blitz against the board.

Two council members supporting the override, Aurin Chowdhury and Jason Chavez, said after the vote that they believe Frey's plan gives too much power to employers at the expense of workers.

Greg Nammacher, the president of SEIU Local 26, released a statement saying workers will continue to push for better conditions, saying it's incredibly frustrating that despite advocacy from groups representing tens of thousands of residents, the mayor and some council members chose to side with "low-road employers" who said they'd refuse to come to the table.

"We have no interest in and will not accept any future board process that is further watered down by even more misinformation and fear from corporate-funded PR firms," he said.

How they voted

The override was supported by Council Members Chowdhury, Chavez, Emily Koski, Jeremiah Ellison, Robin Wonsley and Katie Cashman, as well as Council Vice President Aisha Chughtai and Council President Elliott Payne.

It was opposed by Council Members Jenkins, Osman, Palmisano, Michael Rainville and LaTrisha Vetaw.