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Contact:

Jenna Weisbord, 310-995-0839

jweisbord@franchise.org

@franchising411

IFA Urges Senate to Approve Acosta as Labor Secretary as Regulatory Challenges Continue to Impact Franchise Growth 

WASHINGTON, April 25—International Franchise Association President & CEO Robert Cresanti, on behalf of the 733,000 franchise establishments, urged the U.S Senate to support the nomination of R. Alexander Acosta to serve as Secretary of the Department of Labor. In a letter sent to Congress, Cresanti highlighted the need for a Secretary who can quickly address many of the regulatory challenges facing the business community that were created during the previous Administration.

“Mr. Acosta is a dedicated public servant who has spent years wrestling with complex legal issues. He recognizes the importance of certainty in the law for businesses and the need to balance the interests of employers with employees,” Cresanti stated in the letter. “Once confirmed by the Senate, we hope a top priority for the DOL will be rolling back damaging and ill-conceived regulations such as the harmful expansion of joint employer liability and the too-far, too-fast increase in the overtime threshold that has been put on hold by a Texas judge.”

As franchise owners continue to face a great deal of risk due to regulatory overreach and uncertainty, the IFA has been encouraged by Mr. Acosta’s views on the joint employer issue. The traditional joint employer test had existed with bipartisan support for decades; yet the previous administration decided to reverse decades of precedent and settled law to change that standard.  

“Voters elected a job creator as President, and so it is only fitting that the Labor Department, the agency responsible for ensuring the nation’s labor policy is properly balanced, should be led by someone who appreciates the harmful impact of burdensome regulations on our nation’s small businesses,” added Cresanti.

Given he has been confirmed with bipartisan support by the U.S. Senate three times, IFA is hopeful there will be bipartisan support for his nomination in the U.S. Senate. 

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About the International Franchise Association

Celebrating 56 years of excellence, education and advocacy, the International Franchise Association is the world’s oldest and largest organization representing franchising worldwide. IFA works through its government relations and public policy, media relations and educational programs to protect, enhance and promote franchising and the more than 733,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 7.6 million direct jobs, $674.3 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy and 2.5 percent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). IFA members include franchise companies in over 300 different business format categories, individual franchisees and companies that support the industry in marketing, law, technology and business development.