The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.8 million-employee lodging industry, issued the following statement on the draft immigration reform principles offered today by House Republican leadership:

“This country’s existing immigration system is broken and cannot adequately meet the demands of our 21st century economy, and the time for action is now,” said Katherine Lugar, AH&LA president/CEO.  “The draft principles issued today by House Republican leaders are an important development in addressing what the lodging industry recognizes will be a multi-step process in fixing these problems.  We are encouraged by the signs of action in the House of Representatives and look forward to working collaboratively with members from both sides of the aisle in passing much-needed reform.  There is a long way to go on hammering out details, but this draft is a crucial step in the process.”

Immigration reform is one of AH&LA’s top priorities for 2014 as outlined in the association’s recently-issued “Pro-Growth Policy Agenda for 2014.”  In particular, the lodging industry is seeking reforms that:

• Establish a process to identify, screen, fine, and place in probationary status those undocumented workers currently in the U.S.;
• Ensure that any new employment verification system is effective, efficient, and fair;
• Strengthen the H-2B temporary worker program;
• Create a new lesser-skilled temporary worker program that allows non-agricultural employers to obtain workers when American workers are unavailable; and
• Include the provisions of the Jobs Originated Through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act to streamline visa processing and expand the number of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program.

The U.S. lodging industry is a strong driver of jobs and economic growth, currently employing 1.8 million hotel property workers and paying $200.9 billion in travel-related wages and salaries.  The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects lodging will create more than 141,000 new jobs by 2020, and hoteliers are concerned over continuing difficulties in finding enough U.S. workers to fill these jobs.  It is anticipated the problem will become more acute as the economy recovers, despite the good wages and growth opportunity afforded by the industry.

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Serving the hospitality industry for more than a century, the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA) is the sole national association representing all segments of the 1.8 million-employee U.S. lodging industry, including hotel owners, REITs, chains, franchisees, management companies, independent properties, state hotel associations, and industry suppliers. Headquartered in Washington, D.C., AH&LA provides focused advocacy, communications support, and educational resources for an industry generating $155.5 billion in annual sales from 4.9 million guestrooms.

The National Restaurant Association today released the following statement in response to a Congressional Budget Office report, which found raising the minimum wage to $10.10 an hour could reduce employment by an estimated 500,000 workers in 2016.

“The CBO report is further evidence that an increase in the minimum wage such as the one proposed in the Harkin/Miller bill would significantly limit the entry-level opportunities businesses can provide, hurting employees with limited skills or experience and looking to enter the workforce—the very workers who need these opportunities most,” said Scott DeFife, EVP, Policy and Government Affairs, National Restaurant Association.

“A minimum wage increase is not a real, comprehensive solution to poverty and the problems of income inequality in this country. There is no clearer example of that than in the restaurant industry, where the vast majority of people who make the minimum wage are working part-time, and are teens or young adults who are likely to be supplementing a family income.

“Other necessary reforms—such as increased access to education and job training opportunities—are far more proven, effective and targeted ways to help people in poverty and will have a more meaningful impact on an individual’s earning potential.

“The restaurant industry provides real pathways to the middle class and beyond, and dramatic increases in the minimum wage will only hinder our ability to provide stepping stones for those who need it most.”

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Founded in 1919, the National Restaurant Association is the leading business association for the restaurant industry, which comprises 990,000 restaurant and foodservice outlets and a workforce of more than 13.5 million employees. We represent the industry in Washington, D.C., and advocate on its behalf. We operate the industry’s largest trade show (NRA Show May 17-20, 2014, in Chicago); leading food safety training and certification program (ServSafe); unique career-building high school program (the NRAEF’s ProStart); as well as the Kids LiveWell program promoting healthful kids’ menu options. For more information, visit www.restaurant.org and find us on Twitter @WeRRestaurants, Facebook and YouTube.

Recently, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) announced new requirements for reporting severe injuries and record-keeping. Click here for the full news release. These new requirements will go into effect January 1, 2015. The final rule has revised the requirements for reporting work-related fatalities, injuries, and illnesses – now requiring employers to report hospitalizations, amputations, and losses of an eye.

For more information about the new rule, visit OSHA’s website at http://www.osha.gov/recordkeeping2014.

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