News

ISSA LARU—DOL Should Withdraw Overtime Ruling

Welcome to the latest ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update, a biweekly roundup of the public-policy issues currently impacting the full cleaning supply chain. This update touches on ISSA urging Congress to tell DOL to withdraw its overtime proposal, ISSA alerting EPA to PRIA5 implementation challenges, the NLRB announcing a new standard for union organizing, and more.

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ISSA Advocacy

ISSA to Congress: DOL Should Withdraw Overtime Ruling
On October 24, 2023, the Partnership to Protect Workplace Opportunity, which includes ISSA as well as 86 other organizations representing private, public, nonprofit, and educational entities, sent letters to U.S. House and Senate lawmakers requesting that they urge the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to withdraw its proposed overtime pay regulations. The department proposed to increase the minimum salary level that an employee must receive to be exempt from federal overtime pay by 70% and proposed to automatically increase the salary level every three years. 

This proposal comes despite the department updating the minimum salary level in 2019. ISSA is also preparing its own comments on the proposed overtime rule to submit to DOL, incorporating responses from a recent member survey on this issue. Thank you to those members who provided us with this critical feedback. Learn more

ISSA Alerts EPA of PRIA 5 Implementation Challenges
ISSA, as a leading member of the PRIA Coalition, sent a letter to Michal Freedhoff, Assistant Administrator at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), expressing frustration: 1) regarding the lack of improvements in the completion of actions in accordance with the Pesticide Registration Improvement Act of 2022’s (PRIA 5) prescribed timeframes and 2) that PRIA due dates are not reliable or predictable. 

According to the letter, “the repeated and continuous delays in the front-end processing of registrant submissions and the lack of clear communication to the registrant community about solutions is exacerbating EPA’s inability to meet PRIA deadlines.” The letter goes on to address these challenges by suggesting both short- and long-term solutions to ensure “a smoother and more transparent registration process.” Learn more

NLRB Announces New Standard for Union Organizing
Recently, the U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) adopted a new standard for union representation that requires an employer to recognize and bargain with a union that has demonstrated majority status, unless the employer challenges the union’s support through an employer-initiated NLRB election and does this without committing any unfair labor practices. Learn more

ISSA’s October Period Project Update
ISSA’s October Period Project Update will keep you up to date on the association’s efforts to end period poverty through advocacy and education. Learn more

Include Government Affairs as Part of Your ISSA Show Experience
Your ISSA Government Affairs Team has a plethora of activities for you to partake in as part of ISSA Show North America 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada, November 13-16. Government Affairs will host:

• Hot Topics: Cleaning Products Workshop 2023 – November 13 • 8 am-5 pm • Mandalay Bay
  Ensure your continued success in the marketplace by attending this one-day, live workshop that will address the latest regulatory, legislative, and sustainability issues along with other trending topics that impact the manufacturing, packaging, marketing, and sale of household and commercial cleaning products. Separate registration from the show is required to participate in the workshop.
• Industry Leaders Roundtable – November 14 • 1:30 pm-2 pm • Solve For X Booth #1477
  Hear from leaders representing different segments of the cleaning industry, including manufacturing, distribution, and cleaning services.
• End Period Poverty Service Project – November 14 • 2 pm-4 pm • ISSA Experience Hub
  ISSA invites show attendees to help fill 500 personal-care bags to be distributed to those in need in the local community by Purse Power, a Nevada charity.
• Government Affairs Happy Hour – November 14 • 4 pm-5 pm • ISSA Experience Hub
  Come meet the ISSA Government Affairs Team, talk politics, network, and enjoy a complimentary drink on us!
• How to Maintain Period-Friendly Bathrooms – November 15 • 2:30 pm-3 pm • Solve For X Booth #1477
  ISSA and its Hygieia Network invite you to learn about what period poverty is, what is being done to address the issue, and why more buildings are providing period-friendly bathrooms.

Be sure to stop by our Government Affairs Booth in the ISSA Experience Hub and say hello to your Government Affairs Team! Learn more

Legislative

‘Break Free from Plastic’ Legislation Reintroduced in Congress
U.S. House and Senate Democrats reintroduced the Break Free from Plastic Pollution Act, led by Senator Jeff Merkley (D-OR) and Representative Jared Huffman (D-CA), Waste Dive reported. Dozens of environmental groups support the bill, while plastics industry groups again voiced staunch opposition. The bill aims to reduce plastic production and rein in plastic waste. Provisions include creating a nationwide deposit return system as well as establishing extended producer responsibility for makers of beverage containers and certain plastic products. Learn more

House Ways and Means Hearing on Expanding 529 Accounts
Tomorrow’s Workforce Coalition, of which ISSA is a member, submitted written comments to a U.S. House Ways and Means Committee hearing last week to examine “Educational Freedom and Opportunity for American Families, Students, and Workers.” Learn more

Regulatory

NLRB Finalizes Joint-Employer Rule
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued its final rule, effective December 26, 2023, considerably expanding the joint-employer standard under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The standard is used to determine when two or more employers are jointly responsible for a shared group of workers’ essential terms and conditions of employment. Joint-employer status comes with significant liability and responsibilities under the NLRA. If found to be a joint employer, businesses are liable for any collective bargaining obligations with those workers and for any unfair labor practices committed against those workers. Learn more

IRS Announces Special Process for Withdrawing Inappropriate ERC Claims
Last month, citing “rising concerns about a flood of improper Employee Retention Credit (ERC) claims,” the U.S. Internal Revenue Service (IRS) announced a moratorium on processing new ERC claims. At the time, the agency indicated that it was finalizing details for a withdrawal option for those who have filed an inappropriate ERC claim, but the claim has not been processed—an amnesty program, of sorts. On October 19, the IRS announced the details of the special withdrawal process, Forbes reported. Learn more

Biden Administration Releases H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce Report
The Biden administration released the report of the H-2B Worker Protection Taskforce. The report announces new actions to be taken by four federal agencies—the U.S. Departments of Homeland Security, Labor, and State, as well as the U.S. Agency for International Development—to strengthen protections for vulnerable workers. The H-2B program permits employers to temporarily hire noncitizens to perform nonagricultural labor or services, such as cleaning, in the United States. Learn more

New Tips from OSHA: Prevent Heat-Related Illnesses during Pregnancy
The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a new resource on how best to protect pregnant workers from heat-related illnesses, according to Safety + Health. Pregnancy increases the risk of heatstroke or heat exhaustion on the job because the body must work harder to cool itself down, the agency says. Pregnant workers are also more likely to become dehydrated, “a primary contributor to heat-related illness.” Learn more

State News

WI Allocates Millions to Combat PFAS
Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers is allocating more than US$402 million to address polluted drinking water in Wisconsin, AP reported. The money will be available to 106 Wisconsin municipalities to help them build water infrastructure projects, replace lead service lines, and “address emerging contaminants such as PFAS.” Learn more

CA Governor Signs Law to Raise Healthcare Workers’ Minimum Wage
California will raise the minimum wage for healthcare workers to US$25 per hour over the next decade under a new law that Governor Gavin Newsom signed, according to AP. About 455,000 healthcare workers—not doctors and nurses, but the people who do everything else at hospitals, dialysis clinics, and other facilities—will see their salaries increase to at least $25 per hour over the next 10 years. Learn more

VT Minimum Wage to Increase in New Year
Vermont’s minimum wage will increase to US$13.67 per hour starting January 1, 2024, the Burlington Free Press reported. This will be a $0.49 increase from the current minimum wage of $13.18. Learn more