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.

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.

We talk with Doug Kantor, General Counsel of the Nationl Association of Conveneince Stores about the new coalition in Washington that is leaning headfirst into the credit card debit card fee fight with the banks and credit card companies.

And we discuss the cooling job market and how it may impact worker leverage and the ability of the labor community to continue their organizing efforts in the industry

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

We discuss the changing politics of the debate around interchange fees and how the banks and credit card industry, usually in lock step with Republicans, is increasingly finding itself at odds with their old friends and on the target list. We’ll discuss why.

And Steve Clark, the President & CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association stops by the pod to give us a status check on One Fair Wage’s efforts to eliminate the Tip Credit via the 2024 ballot. He’ll give us the state of play and what the next few months look like in the Bay State on this important issue

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