Confirmations open the door for the Board to reconsider harmful precedent

WASHINGTON D.C. – The International Franchise Association (IFA) today issued the following statement applauding the nomination of James Macy to serve on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB):

“We commend the Trump Administration for their outstanding selection of James Macy to serve on the NLRB and call on the U.S. Senate to act swiftly on his confirmation,” said Michael Layman, IFA Chief Advocacy Officer. “An NLRB consisting of appointees committed to unleashing the potential of the franchise community, especially by preserving the federal joint employer standard, will spur small business growth and create more opportunity for all.”

Since September 2025, Macy has served at the U.S. Labor Department as the acting head of the Wage and Hour Division. In addition to Macy, the White House renominated sitting member David Prouty to a second term.

Structured as a five-member board, the NLRB currently has three members:

  • James Murphy (Republican, Chairman)
  • Scott Mayer (Republican)
  • David Prouty (Democrat)

The NLRB’s 2023 joint employer rule sought to expand the definition of joint employer to an ambiguous and overly broad standard that threatened the viability of the entire franchise model.

IFA led the lawsuit that resulted in the March 2024 federal court rejection of the NLRB’s 2023 joint employer rule. The 2023 joint employer rule would have significantly and unnecessarily affected the viability of the franchise model by imposing an unclear and expansive definition of joint employment. A previous joint employer rule destroyed 376,000 jobs, cost small businesses $33.3 billion, and led to a 93% spike in lawsuits in the franchise sector alone.

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About the International Franchise Association:

Celebrating over 60 years of excellence, education, and advocacy, the International Franchise Association (IFA) 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 832,000 franchise establishments that support nearly 8.8 million direct jobs, $907.3 billion of economic output for the U.S. economy, and almost 3 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.

Press Contact

Katherine Knight Patterson
Katherine Knight Patterson

VP, Communications

202.662.0783

kpatterson@franchise.org

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