On August 17, 2026, the U.S. District Court for the District of Minnesota rejected First Amendment, Due Process, antitrust, and NLRA preemption challenges to Minnesota’s Nursing Home Workforce Standards Board. The Minnesota Legislature established the tripartite Standards Board in 2023 to issue statewide minimum employment standards for nursing home workers. SEIU Healthcare Minnesota intervened in the case to defend the legality of the Board. The District Court denied the plaintiff nursing home associations’ request for a preliminary injunction against the Board and granted the State of Minnesota’s motion to dismiss, dismissing the case with prejudice. As a result, a significant minimum wage increase for nursing home workers issued by the Board is slated to go into effect in September 2026.
A copy of the order can be found here.