COVID-19
Health and Safety – The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has given its full approval of the Pfizer vaccine for people ages 16 and older. With FDA approval, more companies and institutions are likely to adopt vaccine mandates and requirements. Meanwhile, California legislators are exploring one of the most expansive requirements to date. It would require nearly all citizens to prove they’re fully vaccinated before entering restaurants, bars, movie theaters, gyms, hotels, stadiums, and other indoor establishments. As written, the proposal would take effect immediately upon the governor’s signature, and would direct the health department to develop an enforcement mechanism by Nov. 1. Additionally, the proposal also would mandate that employers require their employees to show proof of vaccination as a condition of employment, or to submit weekly COVID-19 test results as an alternative. It would also require both public and private employers to provide paid sick leave to employees for vaccination appointments and for recovery from any symptoms following vaccination. More details.
Federal Relief – The National Restaurant Association (NRA) is making a renewed push for relief funds, releasing new data showing that the Delta variant has had a dramatic, negative impact on customer traffic. A NRA survey finds that 6 in 10 adults changed their restaurant use due to the rise in the delta variant, 19 percent of adults have stopped going out to restaurants and 9 percent have cancelled existing plans to go out to a restaurant in recent weeks.
State Relief – The Michigan Governor’s budget resolution calls for $100 million for grants up to $20,000 per restaurant to recruit and retain workers. Under the governor’s Economic Jump Start plan, restaurants and other employers would be provided for three months with the funds needed to raise employees’ pay to $15/hr. The state would pick up the difference between what the businesses currently pay in wages and what their payroll would be at $15/hr. In exchange, the employer is obliged to keep the workers on the payroll for at least another three months at the higher pay rate without any contribution from the state. It is unclear if the proposal will make it into the final state budget. Additionally, New York announced an $800 million dollar grant program to help small businesses – including restaurants – recover from COVID-related losses. More details.
Unemployment Benefits – The Labor Department Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released data this week that showed that ending unemployment benefits has had little impact on the labor market to date. Only eight of the 26 states that ended federal jobless benefits early saw a statistically significant drop in unemployment in July.
McDonalds – An Oakland, CA based franchisee settled a lawsuit brought by workers – with the assistance of Fight for $15 – claiming the managers provided inadequate health and safety equipment to protect workers from COVID-19, going so far as charging management with providing dog diapers and coffee filters to serve as masks.To Access Align's Analysis: Log In or Subscribe
Wages
New York – One Fair Wage president Saru Jayaraman is calling on the newly-appointed governor, Kathy Hochul, to eliminate the tip credit in the state and pay servers at least the state minimum of $15/hr. In her comments, she likened the sexual harassment charges against former Gov. Cuomo with the plight of restaurant workers saying that sexual harassment is inherent in tipped work. More details.
Lululemon – The apparel retailer is the latest to announce across the board wage increases raising the minimum base pay for most of its North America employees to $15/hr to $17/hr depending on job function. More details.
Labor Policy
PRO ACT – California Attorney General Bonta led a group of 16 other AGs calling on the U.S. Senate to pass the controversial legislation. In their comments, the group – all Democrats – argued that the PRO Act “strengthens and modernizes the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), which enshrines the fundamental rights to organize, unionize, and bargain collectively.” More details.
California – A Superior Court judge ruled the state’s Proposition 22 ballot initiative passed by voters in 2020 is unconstitutional and thereby invalid. To Access Align's Analysis: Log In or Subscribe
Labor Activism
Colectivo Coffee – Workers at Colectivo Coffee voted to unionize this week, affiliating with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW).To Access Align's Analysis: Log In or Subscribe
Delivery
Illinois – The governor signed legislation prohibiting third-party delivery services from listing a restaurant on its platform without obtaining written consent. More details.
Packaging
New Hampshire – The governor signed legislation banning the manufacture, sale, distribution, or composting of food packaging that contains PFAS in 2024 and requires food packaging that claims to be “compostable” to be certified as such by 2024 as well.To Access Align's Analysis: Log In or Subscribe