News
ISSA LARU—End Period Poverty Campaign Launched
October 28, 2022
Welcome to the latest ISSA Legislative & Regulatory Update (LARU), a biweekly roundup of the public-policy issues currently impacting the full cleaning supply chain. This update touches on ISSA launching a new End Period Poverty campaign, the ISSA Sustainability Committee calling for volunteers, the ISSA Advocacy Action Center serving as a “one-stop” shop for all of your Election Day needs, and more.
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ISSA Advocacy
ISSA Launches End Period Poverty Campaign
This week, ISSA launched an educational and advocacy campaign aimed at ending period poverty and advancing period dignity. This new initiative is in partnership with ISSA Hygieia Network, an ISSA Charities™ signature program dedicated to the advancement and retention of women in the cleaning industry. The campaign is guided by the belief that menstrual care solutions should be as available in away-from-home restrooms as soap, toilet paper, and paper towels. Far too few facilities consider the impact of their patrons being left unprepared while away from home should someone’s period come unexpectedly. Watch this recent Cleaning Industry Alert for more on this initiative.
ISSA Sustainability Committee Call for Volunteers Questionnaire
The ISSA Sustainability Committee is calling for volunteers. Those interested in serving on the committee should complete this online questionnaire, taking into account the attributes that will be considered for committee membership, including:
- Technical expertise relative to sustainability
- Passion for sustainability
- Available time to serve
- Previous committee experience
- Other skills that could affect the success of this initiative
Are You Ready for Election Day?
Election Day is Tuesday, November 8, 2022. Are you ready? This Election Day, our nation will vote for one-third of the U.S. Senate, all 435 U.S. Representatives, and many statewide and local officials. The outcome of these elections will affect the cleaning industry, as well as our communities and families. Now is the time to make sure that you know who is running for public office and where to vote. The ISSA Advocacy Action Center can help with a “one-stop shop,” where you can:
- Look up the candidates who are running in your state and district
- Find your polling location
- Use additional voter resources
Voter turnout will be key in determining how this important midterm election ends up; all of us can impact that outcome by voting and encouraging others to do so. Let’s make the voice of the cleaning industry heard this Election Day!
Regulatory
EPA Issues Final Guidance for Antimicrobial Efficacy Claims
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued finalized guidance and test methods for registering antimicrobial products with residual efficacy against viruses and bacteria. While traditional disinfectants only kill viruses and bacteria that are on the surface at the time that they are used, surfaces treated with residual antimicrobial products kill pathogens that come into contact with the surface days, weeks, or years after the product is applied.
EPA Registers Air Sanitizer for Use against Influenza, COVID-19
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) registered Lysol Air Sanitizer, a new pesticide product that can be used in the air against bacteria and viruses such as influenza and coronaviruses. This is the first antimicrobial product registered that is effective for use in air that can kill both bacteria and viruses.
EPA Releases Updated Lists of Disinfectants for Emerging Pathogens, Ebola
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) triggered its emerging viral pathogen (EVP) guidance in support of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s response to the Ebola virus cases in western Uganda. With EPA’s EVP guidance, additional disinfectants, for which emerging viral pathogen claims have been approved, can be used against the Ebola virus.
DOL Proposes to Change Worker Classification Rule
The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) proposed a rule that would determine whether a worker is an independent contractor or an employee under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). Under the FLSA, companies are required to provide benefits, such as minimum wage and overtime, to employees, but not to independent contractors. To determine whether a worker is an employee or an independent contractor, the employer must analyze whether the worker is economically dependent on the employer for work or is in business for themselves. The proposed rule would rescind a Trump administration rule, which adopted an economic reality test that focused on two core factors–control and profit. DOL proposes an economic reality test that requires a “totality-of-the-circumstances analysis” of multiple factors. According to the New York Times, the proposal would make it more likely for millions of janitors, as well as homecare and construction workers, and gig drivers to be classified as employees rather than independent contractors. Comments on this rule are due by November 28, 2022.
NLRB Extends Comment Period on Proposed Joint-Employer Standard
The U.S. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) extended the original deadline to submit comments on the agency’s proposed rule for deciding joint-employer status. The new deadline is December 7, 2022, and there will be no additional extensions, according to the NLRB. The agency released the proposed rule, which would expand the factors that can establish a joint-employment relationship, on September 6. If employers “share or codetermine those matters governing employees’ essential terms and conditions of employment,” then they qualify as joint employers, the NLRB said.
Rail Union Rejects Deal, Renewing Possibility of Strike
More than half of the members of the third-largest railroad union in the U.S. rejected a deal brokered by the Biden administration, citing unsettled issues and poor working conditions–setting the stage for a possible strike, The Hill reported. The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division members would not strike until five days after Congress reconvenes in November to allow time for more negotiations, according to the Associated Press.
Federal Maritime Commission Funds Study to Curb Port Congestion
The U.S. Federal Maritime Commission is funding a US$500,000 study to address challenges within U.S. intermodal chassis pools, which have contributed to congestion at major U.S. ports during the pandemic, Supply Chain Dive reported. The commission contracted with the U.S. National Academies of Sciences’ Transportation Research Board to examine existing chassis pools and determine the best model to “support an efficiently functioning supply chain.” The study is mandated as part of the Ocean Shipping Reform Act of 2022 signed into law in June, which ISSA strongly supported.
State News
Free Webinar: Enforcement of California Consumer Products Regulations
ISSA members are welcome to participate in a free HCPA webinar on the Enforcement of the California Consumer Products Regulations, 1 pm-2 pm CT on Wednesday, November 2. Over the last five years, the California Air Resources Board (CARB) has assessed penalties of nearly $1.5 million each year for companies that fail to comply with its volatile organic compound regulations for consumer and commercial products. An extra or missing word on a label can result in a penalty, which is why HCPA is collaborating with CARB Enforcement and industry experts to help attendees understand how CARB handles enforcement, tips on how to remain compliant, and what to do if your company does receive a penalty letter. Register here for this free webinar.
