The Working Lunch

House Democrats plan to hold a vote on a $15/hr minimum wage the details of which will set a new marker in the national conversation and may impact the election prospects of some members in 2020. We'll talk with Matt Haller of the International Franchise Association to learn more. And, this week another strike. This time it’s at Amazon. The team will discuss why the labor work stoppage is back in vogue after a long hiatus. We’ll talk about those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Obamacare may be defunct at the federal level but that’s not stopping states from picking up where the feds left off. California is the latest, and certainly the largest, state to implement a state-level health care mandate. However, it’s unlikely to be the last. In other news, it was recently announced that Amazon for the first time is self-performing the majority of its delivery, which could have wide-ranging impacts in the delivery space. And, finally in our Paul Revere segment we’ll discuss Facebook’s announcement that they’re jumping into the cryptocurrency game.

The war on packaging is heating up and California is poised to set a new marker that may chance the entire lifecycle of the issue. In an age of increasing delivery demands by consumers, operators are finding themselves in a very difficult position. We discuss that with Shannon Crawford, the Director of State Government Affairs for the Plastics Industry Association. And the online retailer Wayfair had a tough week with many of their employees protesting some of the company’s potentially politically-sensitive business engagements. Their response did themselves no favor but may have done a big one for other companies unfortunately demonstrating what not to do in a crisis. We’ll take a deep dive into that. We’ll talk about those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Apprenticeships and workforce development are getting big headlines these days not just from policy makers but from the private sector as well - and none more so than the restaurant and hospitality sector. Rob Gifford from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation joins us to talk about the industry’s leadership in this space. And the President officially launched his reelection campaign this week and he erased any doubt - as if any existed - that immigration enforcement will be the foundational building block of his campaign. What does that mean for operators in the short run and the industry in the long run. We’ll take a look at that. And the biggest industry union vote in a generation is getting closer out on the West Coast. We’ll bring you up to speed on the state of play out there. We’ll talk about those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The overtime issue is back in the news at both the federal and state level. We’ll take a look at what employers should expect going forward and how the industry is reacting. And the restaurant industry is playing a much more prominent role in the presidential nomination process than it could ever imagine. We thought with notable restaurateurs in the mix, it could potentially be a great opportunity to highlight the model. Then came the beatdown against McDonald’s and the industry. We’ll discuss how that is playing out. And a big week in the delivery space with Amazon tapping out of the octagon and suspending their delivery operations. If Jeff Bezos can’t make money at it, it shows how hard the delivery road is for operators. We’ll talk about those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

A West Coast burger chain has stolen the playbook of a local union and has petitioned the NLRB to HOLD an election - literally asking for an election - and the union is crying foul. We’ll take a deep dive into that ironic turn of events and try to sort it all out. And Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the notorious “AOC”, was a celebrity bartender last week in her Queens, New York district to draw attention to the plight of restaurant and service industry workers. We’ll discuss how that event was covered and what it means for the industry. And the industry is starting to feel the effects of the ongoing trade war we are having with - well everybody at this point. With another round of tariffs pending, we will be joined once again by Hun Quach, the Vice President of International Trade for the Retail Industry Leaders Association, who will help us understand the impact on the industry and what operators need to know. We’ll talk about those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is back in the news again, this time teaming up with our old friends at the Restaurant Opportunities Center to return to her roots and do some celebrity bartending and why? - to show solidarity with restaurant and other service industry workers. We’ll discuss why that matters and what the potential implications of that alliance may mean for the industry. And chaos seems to be reigning supreme at both the DOL and the NLRB with staff upheaval, logjams, and a Secretary out of favor by the White House. We’ll kick that around and see what operators need to be prepared for. And it’s the last day of session in Alabama and the franchise bill is coming down to the wire. Jeff Hanscom from the International Franchise Association will join us and get us up to date. We’ll talk about those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

This week, McDonald’s held their annual shareholders conference and their political opponents used it as a platform to bash the company yet again. And speaking of political grandstanding, Bernie Sanders is going to Bentonville next month for the Wal-Mart shareholders meeting. We’ll discuss what impact this political theater may have if any on those companies and on the political dialogue. And Texas and Alabama are the latest battlegrounds in the war between the boots and suits for control of the Republican party. We’ll discuss how the business wing of the party is faring against the social activist wing. And speaking of Republicans attacking businesses, the Trump Administration is notifying thousands of employers that some of their employees do not match their social security numbers - the so-called “no match” issue - potentially forcing the loss of thousands of employees who lack legal status. We’ll talk about those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The labor community seems to be easing up on their at filing of unfair labor practice complaints at the Labor Department. Does this mean their organizing efforts are running out of gas? We’ll take a look at that. And a new study shows companies are seriously examining their pay data and working toward correcting any inequities. Are restaurant companies also following suit? We’ll discuss the landscape with regard to pay equity. And NRA CEO Dawn Sweeney announced her intention to retire at the end of the year after leading the industry for the last 12 years. We’ll discuss her tenure and the legacy she leaves the organization and also, what may be next for the NRA. We’ll talk about those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Election time is just around the corner - not 2020 - but 2019 - in five states and we’ll discuss both the local and national implications and how industry issues are playing into the mix. And California and the Trump Administration are at war again - this time over independent worker classification. We’ll talk with attorney Norman Leon of DLA Piper who represents the International Franchise Association on matter like this and he will sort it all out for us. And we’ll also be joined by Mark Freedman from the U.S Chamber of Commerce who will give us the latest and greatest on the EEO-1 pay data companies need to submit by September.

We’ll talk about those stories and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.