The Working Lunch

We sit down with Misty Chally, the Executive Director of the Critical Labor Coalition to discuss what that group is doing in Congress to address and potentially alleviate the labor crunch that operators can’t seem to climb out of.

And we update you on the national autoworkers strike and what ramifications its success or failure may have on presidential politics in Michigan and other labor movements a little closer to home for the restaurant industry.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

We’ll discuss what happened in Chicago this week with a major shift in perceived industry positioning with regard to tip credit elimination. We are joined by Berman & Company’s Mike Saltsman for his analysis of what happened, why it happened and how the industry manages the issue going forward.

And Sean Kennedy, the Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association stops by to give us the backroom play by play of the California Compromise with the SEIU and how it sets up the industry for success going forward.

We’ll discuss thos eissues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The new proposed overtime rule is out and we discuss the impact - better than we thought, worse than we thought, or about what we thought. We’ll discuss the impact, the process going forward, and what’s next for operators.

And the NLRB released yet another decision last month, the Stericycle decision, that may make every employer rewrite large segments of their employee handbooks. We’ll explain.

And the right of center is engaging in the actual culture wars - music and cinema namely - and creating markets that are flumoxxong those on the left. We’ll do a deep dive into yet another growing divide.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The National Labor Relations Board has turned union election rules upside down, issuing new regulations around quickie “ambush” elections and instituting a de facto card check rule, making union organiziaing significantly easier. We’ll discuss the ramifications for all employers large and small

And the world of alcohol continues to change, both from consumer tastes and trends to laws and regulatory compliance. We are joined by our old colleague Sean Kelly, now EVP of Marketing & Operations for ABC Fine Wines & Spirits to get his perspective on where the market is going and how regulators may follow.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

We’ll have a conversation with Michael Formica, the Chief Legal Strategist for the National Pork Porducers Council to talk about supply chain ramifications from recent legal and legislative outcomes regarding gestation crates, interstate commerce and more. We’ll discuss what operators large and small need to know about impacts to the current prices and market and more importantly, down the road.

And the tip credit elimination fight is gearing up in Chicago and we’ll discuss the importance of a strong industry opposition campaign for not only Chicago but potentially for Illinois and other states going forward.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

We are joined by Sean Kennedy, the Executive Vice President Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association to bring us up to speed on the epic ongoing battle in California facing all restaurant operators and how the next few months will play out legislatively and politically.

And speaking of the NRA, Sean’s colleague Mike Whatley, the Vice President of State Affairs & Grassroots Advocacy, will walk us through the efforts underway in DC that could essentially codify service charges. We will also talk about the ramifications of this week’s ballot results in Ohio and how it may impact the pending measure to increase the minimum wage and eliminate the tip credit.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

We visit with Ed Egee, Vice President of Government Relations and Workforce Development at the National Retail Federation who will discuss the emerging policy and legal challenges around Artifical Intelligence. The big question is - Does Artificail Intelligence make it easier to artificially discriminate? The Trial Bar sure seems to think so. We’ll dive into that and other pending issues with Ed and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The Industrial Welfare Commission is potentially being revived in California and could have momentous consequences for the restaurant industry. We are joined by Ben Ebbink, an attorney with Fisher & Phillips in Sacramento and of counsel to the California Restaurant Association to fully understand the moving parts of the IWC and what it means for operators.

And the Labor world has been busy this Summer with litigation around the 80/20 rule, sabre rattling on Capitol Hill, and a new overtime rule that will be issued any day now. We are joined by our good friend Aaron Frazier, Vice President of Public Policy for the National Restaurant Association, who will help us sort it all out.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The unions in California have resurrected an old friend from the past - the Industrial Wage Commission - as the latest weapon to torment the quick service industry. What does this development mean for all restaurant employers? We’ll discuss.

And the Supreme Court has issued a couple of decisions - and one important non-decision - that all employers should pay close attention to. Those actions, coupled with an all out threat from 13 Republican Attorneys General, should have all employers on guard.

The issue of service fees is making front page news lately as operators look for ways to pass on high labor costs. Along with a changing dynamic around tipping, could the industry be setting itself up for a fight with policy makers and opinion leaders? We’ll discuss.

And the tip credit elimination battle in Chicago heated up this week with the mayor clearly leading the charge. If they are successful, are there implications for a statewide law in Illinois? How about other states? We’ll take a look.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.