FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact:
Matthew Haller, 202-662-0770
Jenna Weisbord, 202-662-0766
mhaller@franchise.org
jweisbord@franchise.org
IFA STATEMENT ON FAILED MINIMUM WAGE BILL
WASHINGTON, April 30, 2014 —International Franchise Association President & CEO Steve Caldeira released the below statement today following the failure of a Senate bill to increase the Federal minimum wage:
“We commend the Senate’s decision to reject legislation to drastically raise the minimum wage, and thank the Senators who took a stand to protect our nation’s small business franchise owners. Congress’ own economists at the Congressional Budget Office have said that an increase in the minimum wage would reduce employment, and thankfully enough Senators heeded this dire warning in a sluggish and still fragile economy.
“For many franchise businesses that are labor-intensive and already operate on thin profit margins, this legislation could have pushed some operators out of business. Businesses should be able to determine the most competitive starting wage and subsequent raises for their employees within their industry and local economy.”
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About the International Franchise Association
The International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. Celebrating over 50 years of excellence, education and advocacy, IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising. Through its media awareness campaign highlighting the theme, Franchising: Building Local Businesses, One Opportunity at a Time, IFA promotes the economic impact of the more than 825,000 franchise establishments, which support nearly 18 million jobs and $2.1 trillion of economic output for the U.S. economy. IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law and business development.
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Phone: +1 202/628-8000 Fax: +1 202/628-0812 www.franchise.org