September 14th, 2017
CSLB, AAF, PPI Brief Bipartisan Congressional Staff on Joint Employer Issue
WASHINGTON, September 12 — This morning, the Coalition to Save Local Businesses hosted a bipartisan congressional staff briefing on “joint employer,” an issue that has seen extensive debate in the U.S. Congress and notable support on both sides of the aisle. The event, moderated by CSLB Executive Director Michael Layman, included speakers Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum, Dane Stangler, director of Policy Innovation at the Progressive Policy Institute, and Saunda Kitchen, president of Mr. Rooter of Sonoma County, California.
“As today’s speakers suggested, without Congressional action, the impact of unpredictable joint employer liability will continue to have a profound impact on local businesses and the overall economy,” said CSLB Executive Director Michael Layman. “We appreciate Holtz-Eakin and Stangler sharing their unique perspectives on the joint employer issue, and we urge Congress to act swiftly to provide as much clarity and certainty as possible to local businesses.”
In their remarks, Holtz-Eakin, Stangler, and Kitchen highlighted the reasons why employers need clarity on the joint employer issue:
“The lingering uncertainty surrounding the joint employer standard is showing up as slower growth in jobs, hours of work, and wages. Employers and employees alike need Congress to overturn Browning-Ferris and establish a clear and sensible definition of the employment relationship,” said Doug Holtz-Eakin, president of the American Action Forum.
“The world of work is changing rapidly, and policymakers across the country need to help workers and companies adapt. The Progressive Policy Institute is committed to helping find solutions that balance worker protection with business productivity and investment and the expansion of the joint employer doctrine fails to strike that balance,” said Dane Stangler, director of Policy Innovation at PPI.
“Until Congress passes legislation, there will be no permanent clarity for local business owners and we will not know what the rules will be tomorrow,” said Saunda Kitchen, president of Mr. Rooter of Sonoma County, California.
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The Coalition to Save Local Businesses represents thousands of local businesses and millions of American jobs through its membership and partner organizations. The coalition’s goal is to inform Members of Congress and others about the negative consequences decisions by the National Labor Relations Board to expand the definition of who can be held as a joint employer would have on local businesses and their employees across the country. The coalition is asking Congress to support legislation that would make permanent the long-standing and widely accepted definition of joint employer. To learn more about the coalition visit the website, www.SaveLocalBusinesses.com.