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This weekly podcast comes from Align Public Strategies, a full-service public affairs and creative firm that helps corporate brands, governments and nonprofits navigate the outside world and inform their internal decision-making. #WorkingLunch #Align
331 Episodes
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We’re joined by Justin Winslow, the President & CEO of the Michigan Restaurant & Lodging Association, who will discuss his organization’s successful legal battle before the state supreme court to remove a pending ballot measure to increase the minimum wage and eliminate the tip credit. But the issue is far from over and we talk about what’s coming next.
And California is at it again - this time creating a Fast Act for Janitorial Workers. We’ll talk about the SEIU’s continued focus on sectoral bargaining and what that could mean down the road for other industry players.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
A unionization effort at a high-profile restaurant in Minneapolis could be the equivalent of the early efforts in the coffee sector in both Boston and Buffalo that led directly to Starbucks. Operators large and small in Minneapolis better buckle up and operators everywhere should be paying close attention. We’ll explain why.
And we are joined by Mike Whatley, Vice-President of State Affairs & Grassroots Advocacy at the National Restaurant Association to talk about the state of play of the minimum wage ballot initiatives in Arizona, Massachusetts, Ohio, Michigan and Missouri. We’ll also talk about junk fees and outline the industry priorities on the ground this summer.
We’ll talk about that important development and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
We are joined by Phil Wilson, President & General Counsel of the Labor Relations Institute to talk about the recent application of the Cemex decision in a restaurant organizing effort and forcing the operators to bargain. Is this a one-off or just the beginning as the labor community continues to focus on the industry.
We’ll talk about that important development and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
With a new union focused on organizing QSR’s in the South, and pro-union think tanks disparaging the “Southern Economic Model”, the escalation of the southern prison labor issue is not happening in a vacuum. How should the industry view what is happening down South and more importantly, how to prepare for it.
And the landmark Cemex decision has barreled headfirst into the restaurant industry with a New York landmark restaurant facing the possibility of being the first in the industry ordered to recognize a union without an election. We will dive into that.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
Minneapolis has successfully engineered a labor standards board for nursing home workers that will set benefit and wage levels for that sector. So far advocates have considered it a big success building momentum for the concept. Any guesses as to which industry is next on their agenda? You guessed it. We’ll discuss what’s coming down the pike for the restaurant industry.
And under the guise of “we missed the memo”, how, when and why did the restaurant industry and its supply chain partners end up in the middle of most of the biggest political and policy issues of our day? We’ll try to figure that out.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
We are joined by Sean Kennedy, the EVP of Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association to reflect on last week’s summiting of Capitol Hill by hundreds of restauant operators during the Assocation’s annual Public Affairs Conference. What did Members of Congress learn from us and what did we learn from them? We’ll discuss.
And in the wake of political blowback, are leading companies shying away from their corporate diversity and inclusion goals or are they merely just talking about them less. We’ll take a look at that.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
There are some important restaurant states this year with minimum wage and tip credit elimination measures on the November ballot. Ohio is at the top of that list. We are joined by John Barker, CEO of the Ohio Restaurant & Hospitality Alliance as well as Tod Bowen, their head of External Affiars & Government Relations, to level set on their pending measure to both incease the minimum wage to $15/hr and eventually eliminate the tip credit.
We will also review the general state of play of those wage issues across the country as many legislative sessions are close to wrapping up.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
DoorDash is working with the state of Pennsylvania on a portable benefits pilot program that, if successful, could completely alter the dynamics of the national paid leave and benefits conversation. Is there a way for the industry to seize this opportunity and extricate itself from these reputationally-draining issues? We’ll discuss.
And the media is having a field day in California documenting the peridicted and also unforeseen negative ramifications of the new $20/hr minimum wage for QSR workers. How can the industry best capture this energy and leverage it in similar legislative battles across the country? We’ll take a look.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
We sit down with Doug Kantor, the general counsel of the National Association of Convenience Stores, to discuss the biggest story this week - the preliminary settlement of the class action lawsuit brought by a group of retailers almost 20 years ago accusing the credit card companies and their electronic payments systems of being an anti-competitive monopoly. We’ll discuss the merits of the settlement, whether it will be approved by the courts, and what it means for pending legislation in Congres to reign in out-of-control interchange fees.
And California’s minimum wage for fast-food workers is rising to $20/hr next week, the highest statewide wage in the country. But the media coverage this week, somewhat unexpectedly, has been highlighting the impact to operators and the industry and reporting on closures, job losses and other negative ramifications. It’s not been quite the media week the SEIU was hoping for. We’ll dive into that.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
We sit down with Brennan Duckett, the Director of Technology & Innovation Policy at the National Restaurant Association and discuss the junk fee and service charge issue both federally and its explosion at the state level.
And the industry had a big win at the end of last week when the NLRB’s joint employer rule was thwarted in a Texas courtroom. What’s next for the agency, for the unions and for operators in the near future.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
The President gave the annual State of the Union address this week and his war on junk fees was front and center - the same week his Council of Economic Advisiors said that restaurants made up close to 10% of all junk fees. Is the industry potentially heading for some major backlash? We’ll discuss.
And the SEC put out their long-awaited climate disclosure regulations and believe it or not, the worst aspects of it were removed. In a major victory for the business community, the reporting requirements around Scope 3 emissions - the carbon footprint of one’s supply chain - were removed. We’ll dig into that.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
The author of the Fast Act in California has filed additional legislation to exempt certain industries from the new law he championed. Was this an altruistic gesture to relieve the pressure on a host of small businesses or inside baseball among the unions and the legislators that carry their water? We are joined by Jot Condie, the President & CEO of the California Restaurant Association to help us sort it all out.
And Wendy’s was in the news this week but for all the wrong reasons - managing a kerfuffle regarding their possible adoption of dynamic pricing. The company’s comments were later clarified but what does it mean for the industry’s potential adoption of surge pricing models? We’ll discuss.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
Starbucks was in the news this week on a number of different fronts, none of them very good. This past Tuesday, workers at 21 stores filed petitions with the National Labor Relations Board to conduct elections, the most in one day since the campaign began two and a half years ago. And on top of that, a coordinated effort on college campuses has sprouted up pressuring administrators to throw Starbucks stores off campus. We will dig into the week that was for the coffee giant.
We’ll talk about that and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
A Committee Chair in the U.S. House of Representatives is demanding information from the Commissioner of the IRS regarding the lobbying and electioneering activities of One Fair Wage and whether their actions are in violation of their nonprofit status. Is the IRS looking the other way? We’ll discuss.
And then we are joined by Jeff Hanscom, the Vice President of State & Local Government Relations & Counsel for the International Franchise Association to get the latest on the pending, onerous legislation in Georgia and a look around some other states that we should be paying attention to.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
Two big legislative items this week popped up in California and Georgia that operators should take note of, one exempting a lot of folks out from under the FAST Act and the other a franchisee bill of rights proposal that should have parent companies pretty nervous. We’ll take a look.
And then we are joined by Aaron Frazier, the Vice President of Public Policy at the National Restaurant Association to give us the latest and greatest on the pending tax package currently before the senate as well as where the new regulations on service and “junk” fees may be going.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
This week, the Associated Press published the results of a two-year investigation into alleged exploitation of prison labor, primarily in the agriculture industry. The report not only documents the food production process, it follows the products through the supply chain and names retailers, grocery stores, industry suppliers and even some QSR brands that “benefit” from prison labor. We talk about the possible ramifications for brands both outside and inside the company.
And some Republican Agriculture Commissioners are turning up the heat on ESG, pushing back on companies that are pursuing climate goals. Could these “pro-business” elected officials be intentionally putting brands in a legal bind where complying with federal and California law puts you in violation of their laws? We’ll take a look.
We’ll talk about that and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
We are joined by Mark Mix, the President of the National Right to Work Committee and the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation who is assisting workers who wish to decertify their unions. It’s a fascinating and instructive conversation into what the next chapter could look like for the industry in the labor organizing space
We’ll talk about that and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
After years of regulatory and legal wrangling, the Labor Department released its long-awaited rule on the legal treatment of independent contractors. So what does this mean for operators leveraging outside resources for janitorial services, maintenance, and delivery drivers? We’ll discuss.
And Mike Whatley, the Vice-President of State Affairs & Grassroots Advocacy for the National Restaurant Associaton, stops by the pod to discuss his group’s priorities for the 2024 legislative sessions and what operators should prepare for.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
It’s 2024 and legislative sessions are starting all over the country. Congress is heating up as well. And, oh yeah, there is a national election this year . We’ll discuss what the year ahead will look like for restaurant operators.
And Sean Kennedy, the Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association stops by to talk about the state of play with regard to the FTC’s assault on service charges. We’ll discuss what should operators expect on that issue in the coming months and how they can engage.
We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
Starbucks has had one heck of a week with the release of an internal audit regarding the company’s conduct during its ongoing unionization fight, another tough loss at the NLRB, and tons of media coverage about its sagging numbers. These are not happy days in Seattle. We’ll discuss.
And a job training program gone bad or exploiting cheap labor? We’ll take a look at the lawsuit in Alabama against the state for exploiting convicts in work release programs that also involves a few of our QSR friends.
And our old friend Jeff Hanscom, VP of State & Local Government Relations & Public Policy for the International Franchise Association drops by the pod to look ahead with us into 2024 and see how and where the joint employer issue may play out at the state level.
We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.
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