Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their very own.
Consideration, franchise homeowners, solopreneurs and unbiased contractors: It is time to name your lawmakers and demand on their vote to guard the best way you earn a residing.
Why? As a result of federal companies are trying regulatory workarounds to implement insurance policies that Congress refused to enact — insurance policies that threaten the precise of franchises and unbiased contractors to proceed working our companies as we do at present.
Associated: The NLRB’s Joint Employer Rule Faces a Barrage of Challenges, Fueling a Excessive-Stakes Battle Over the Way forward for Franchising
Harmful ‘Defending the Proper to Set up Act’
The background it is advisable know begins with a invoice that average Democrats within the U.S. Senate joined with Republicans to dam. That invoice was referred to as the Defending the Proper to Set up Act, and it contained language so harmful for franchise homeowners and solopreneurs that Entrepreneur printed its first-ever collection of political advocacy articles in opposition to it.
I wrote that collection, referred to as the Marketing campaign for Our Careers. It was an award-winning have a look at the 2 most harmful provisions of the PRO Act for franchises and unbiased contractors: the joint-employer commonplace and the ABC Take a look at.
Associated: The New Joint Employer Rule Will Crush Franchising As We Know It. This is What You Can Do to Shield Your Enterprise.
Congressional Evaluate Act (CRA)
For the reason that PRO Act could not get by way of the legislative department of presidency, the Biden administration has been making an attempt to make use of the manager department to impose comparable coverage modifications. We’d like each potential lawmaker to co-sponsor the usage of the Congressional Evaluate Act (CRA) to overturn these executive-branch strikes.
On the joint-employer language, the CRA would overturn modifications to the joint-employer commonplace by the Nationwide Labor Relations Board. This CRA has already handed the Home of Representatives — in a bipartisan 206-177 vote — but it surely’s nonetheless awaiting motion within the Senate. The Worldwide Franchise Company urged lawmakers as of late February “to kill joint employer as soon as and for all.” Greater than 90 organizations have endorsed this CRA.
On the unbiased contractor language, the U.S. Division of Labor acknowledges in its new rule that there could also be “conceptual overlap” with the ABC Take a look at’s most dangerous part to unbiased contractors. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says the “DOL’s declare that the regulation doesn’t replicate the ABC Take a look at leaves one thing to be desired.” The unbiased contractor CRA was launched within the Home and Senate in early March with greater than 70 co-sponsors and wishes extra in each chambers to advance.
Federal lawsuits have been filed in opposition to each federal companies, making an attempt to cease these coverage modifications by way of the courts. However, given the snail’s tempo with which the wheels of justice can flip, it is essential for Congress to behave.
Associated: This New Authorities Rule Threatens to Disrupt the $825 Billion U.S. Franchise System
Contact your representatives now
In fact, to get Congress to behave, lawmakers want to listen to from constituents. Name or e-mail your member of the Home of Representatives and your two senators. Ask them to co-sponsor utilizing the Congressional Evaluate Act to cease each the Nationwide Labor Relations Board joint-employer commonplace and the Labor Division’s unbiased contractor rule.
To contact your member of the Home of Representatives, go right here.
To contact your state’s two senators, go right here.
Act now, immediately. Each these modifications are scheduled to enter impact on March 11 except the courts or Congress step in.
Kim Kavin is one in all a half-dozen freelance writers and editors who’ve sued the U.S. Division of Labor in two separate lawsuits by way of Pacific Authorized Basis and The Beacon Heart of Tennessee over the unbiased contractor rule.