This week's newsletter is brought to you by GRA Corporate Partner, Green Line Rates. |
JAMES Magazine CEO Spotlight |
Congratulations to GRA Board Member, Perry McGuire, on being named Georgia's Most Influential Politically-Connected Attorneys 2022 in James Magazine.
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EARLY AND ABSENTEE VOTING |
Early and Absentee Voting for Georgia Primary Elections Opened this Week
Early in-person and absentee ballot voting is officially open as of May 2. The 2022 Georgia Primary election date will be held on Tuesday, May 24th. Visit the Georgia Secretary of State's MyVoterPage to check your registration, register to vote, find your polling location, etc.
To review key election dates, the Georgia Secretary of State's website also has a full 2022 calendar here.
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City of Atlanta Proposes Changes to Solid Waste Fees
City of Atlanta has proposed changes to their Solid Waste fee structure. Ordinances 22-O-1281, 22-O-1282, & 22-O-1283 are different options for funding city services such as:
- Street sweeping
- Right-of Way (ROW) mowing
- Trash receptacle pick-up
- Solid Waste Education Enforcement Team (SWEET)
- Keep Atlanta Beautiful, etc..
A City Utilities work session has been scheduled for Thursday, May 12th at 10:00AM at Atlanta City Hall. If you have comments on any of the proposed options or would like to attend the Public Work session, please e-mail Daniel New, GRA Director of Advocacy.
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US DOL OVERTIME LISTENING SESSION |
Tune in TONIGHT to US DOL's Overtime Listening Session (Southeast region) | May 5, 2022 (6:00PM-7:00PM EST)
The Department of Labor Wage and Hour Division previously announced that it is reviewing the regulations that implement the Fair Labor Standards Act’s minimum wage and overtime exemptions for bona fide executive, administrative, and professional employees.
We would like to invite workers and representatives from organizations that represent or advocate on behalf of workers from the Southeast region, including Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Tennessee, to join a virtual listening session with Department officials.
At that time, we would welcome your input on issues such as:
- the appropriate salary level above which the exemptions for bona fide executive, administrative, or professional employees may apply;
- the costs and benefits of increasing the salary level to employers and employees, including increasing wages and reducing litigation costs;
- the best methodology for updating the salary level, and the appropriate frequency of updates;
- whether other changes to the overtime regulations are warranted.
If you are interested in reading more about these topics prior to the listening session, linked here are helpful fact sheets from the Wage and Hour Division.
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US DOL | Free Resources for New and Small Businesses
Owning a small business or creating a new business brings many responsibilities, including compliance with various federal labor and employment laws. The Wage and Hour Division administers and enforces some of the nation’s most comprehensive federal labor laws. Collectively, these laws cover most private, state, and local government employment throughout the United States and its territories. We’re here to help you stay informed because following the law is good for business! Visit our New and Small Business Resources Page and Employer.gov for general information about laws administered by WHD and DOL, and other helpful federal resources that are often applicable to new and small businesses.
EEOC and US DOL Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) host virtual roundtable: "Untapped Potential: Reimagining Equity for Workers with Gaps in Employment History"
Speakers highlight the barriers that caregivers, older workers, people with long-term disabilities, and formerly incarcerated individuals face when reentering the workforce, the strengths these workers offer to employers, and promising practices to attract this untapped talent.
HIRE, a Hiring Initiative to Reimagine Equity is a multi-year joint initiative that aims to boost diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts in hiring and recruitment practices to advance equal employment opportunity and help provide workers with access to good jobs.
You can watch the YouTube video HERE.
Reminder to file 2021 EEO-1 Component 1 Data Collection Report(s) | Deadline May 17, 2022
The EEO-1 Component 1 report is a mandatory annual data collection that requires all private sector employers with 100 or more employees and federal contractors with 50 or more employees meeting certain criteria, to submit workforce demographics including data by race/ethnicity, sex, and job categories. Deadline to Submit and Certify Reports is May 17, 2022.
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For more information on the EEOC's announcement and filing guidance, click here.
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Frequently Asked Questions, click here.
Restaurants Need Solutions for Worker Shortage
The labor shortage in our industry is a threat to every restaurant as we emerge from the pandemic. While there are no silver bullet solutions, we have been working with legislative leaders on ways to help. Last month, the National Restaurant Association announced the introduction of legislation they’ve been developing to create a new program to offer the start of a solution. The Essential Workers for Economic Advancement (EWEA) Act would significantly expand the country’s access to a larger pool of employees on a non-immigration, 3-year visa basis. It’s geared to workers who are looking for opportunities and career paths but have no college degree. Fact Sheet.
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MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS MONTH |
May is National Mental Health Awareness Month
We know the past two years have been especially challenging for employees in the restaurant industry. In observance of National Mental Health Awareness Month, the Georgia Restaurant Association (GRA) encourages operators to continue providing mental and emotional health resources for your team members. Additional resources may also be found on the GRA website.
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NATIONAL RESTAURANT ASSOCIATION SHOW |
National Restaurant Show May 2022
The National Restaurant Association Show is back—and are here to help. Join your peers from across the foodservice industry in Chicago on May 21-24, 2022, and discover exciting new products, interact with innovative new equipment, create business connections with key suppliers, access expert-led education sessions on today’s biggest topics, and make invaluable peer-to-peer networking connections.
For foodservice professionals seeking new and better ways to operate their establishments, grow their customer base, broaden their networks, and increase their success. With representation from all 50 states and 110 countries, there’s no other place to interact with the entire foodservice industry ecosystem.
GRA/National Restaurant Association members are eligible to receive one complimentary badge to the NRA Show. You are required to use your National Restaurant Association member ID and last name to access this complimentary badge. To obtain your NRA membership number, please contact us at info@garestaurants.org.
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