USA
Representatives of member companies of the Textile Rental Services Association of America (TRSA), the linen, uniform and facility services association, took to Capitol Hill today during TRSA’s Leadership and Legislative Conference to raise issues important to the industry. This year’s conference achieved record participation in the number of individuals travelling to Capitol Hill (77) combining for over 60 meetings at House and Senate offices.
It was one of the busiest days in recent memory on the Hill, with the Neil Gorsuch nomination for the Supreme Court, President Donald Trump promoting healthcare reform and the new 2018 federal budget proposal. TRSA attendees reported eyeing the president as he arrived and departed from the Capitol. They overcame long lines to enter congressional office buildings but then took advantage of the secured underground tunnels and subways traversing the Hill to conduct as many as four meetings each in the three hours allocated on the conference agenda for these visits. TRSA organized the meetings for the participants.
Primary issues TRSA raised with legislators:
Improve the regulatory process. TRSA advocated reform based on bipartisan principles of accountability (Congress should vote on the most costly regulations), transparency (eliminating rulemaking to settle lawsuits) and participation (more public data and comment).
Transportation investment. TRSA called for establishing a steady, reliable revenue source for the Highway Trust Fund without tolling existing highways or levying weight-distance taxes or vehicle miles-travelled fees.
National Labour Relations Board. Reversal is needed of NLRB decisions that:
- Allow organising of bargaining units as small as a handful of workers in a larger workplace (“micro-unions”)
- Make businesses liable for workplaces they don’t control and workers they don’t employ (“joint employer”)
- Reduce the time before a union election while requiring employers to provide organisers with employees’ personal information (“ambush elections”).
Three conference sessions the day before the Hill visits framed ensuing discussions with legislators.
