WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 22, 2016) – The Coalition of Franchisee Associations (CFA), the largest franchisee-only association in the country, supports the introduction of legislation to block the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) proposed overtime rule. Sponsored by Sens. Tim Scott (R-SC) and Lamar Alexander (R-TN) and Reps. Tim Walberg (R-MI-07) and John Kline (R-MN-02), the Protecting Workplace Advancement and Opportunity Act seeks to nullify the rule and calls for further analysis of the impact on the economy.
“We must always remind legislators and regulators that while we often have ‘Wall Street’ names on the front of our business, we are truly local ‘Main Street’ small businesses that struggle in today’s economy to make a living and support our families,” said CFA Chairman Keith Miller. “We are not against any increases, but those increases need to be based on the economic realities across the country. One size fits all is often a bad measure.”
CFA does not oppose a measured, rationally based increase in the threshold, which is supported by publicly reported, thoroughly vetted data.
“Our members do oppose such a dramatic increase, which does not take into consideration the impact on our businesses,” said Rob Branca, CFA vice chairman. “We also object to automatic increases in the threshold tied to an index without the legislative or regulatory oversight that monitors then-prevalent economic conditions. Indeed, increases in any index will necessarily reflect increases to all other costs borne by businesses in addition to labor costs.”
“This bill helps protect franchisees by requiring regulators to come face-to-face with the economic impact of the language they draft,” said Misty Chally, CFA executive director.