Federal Mandate, Last Day for B2B Applications

Update on Federal Vaccine/Testing Mandate for Large Employers, Letter to White House

Today, the National Restaurant Association submitted a letter to the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) regarding OSHA’s Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) for a vaccination/testing mandate for employers with more than 100 employees.

We expect the Biden administration will to try have this ETS finalized by the end of the week if at all possible. Once it is published in the Federal Register, the rule goes into effect immediately, but a ramp-up period of time will likely be included to allow employers to get into compliance. Legal challenges seeking to enjoin the rule will immediately follow. 

Regardless, once it publishes, the IRA and National Restaurant Association will provide webinars, guidance, compliance assistance and other supporting materials to help our members navigate the rule. 

We will keep you updated as more information becomes available. Click here to read more from CNN.

Last Day to Apply for Back to Business Grant Applications

Today is the final day for small businesses throughout Illinois to apply for a Back to Business grant. The application portal closes tonight at 11:59 p.m. (Central).

Click here to submit your application before the application portal closes tonight.

City of Chicago Plumbing Code Changes Advance

Yesterday, the Zoning Committee of the Chicago City Council voted to advance a series of changes to Chicago’s plumbing code intended to ease the financial burdens on homeowners and businesses. The package now heads to the full City Council for consideration.

If passed, changes that would impact restaurants include:

• Provisions for optional all-gender restrooms and signage
• Changes to the required minimum number of plumbing fixtures for small occupancies
• Alignment of grease in sewer pipes with national standards

While the changes would not allow for small commercial buildings to use PVC piping, we do expect the Department of Buildings to revisit this issue in the future.

Click here for a one pager with a breakdown of the pending changes. Click here to read more from the Chicago Sun-Times.

New DHS Guidance on Worksite Enforcement re: Undocumented Workers

This morning, Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Mayorkas issued new Worksite Enforcement guidance related to undocumented workers on jobsites.

DHS has indicated that they will not be conducting large scale worksite raids anymore, but will be working with undocumented workers to identify bad actor employers and they will be working with DOL, possibly to coordinate using DHS enforcement, to help enforce labor laws on US worksites. DHS plans to provide protections for workers who cooperate in investigating alleged workplace violations and exploitation. DHS and DOL plan to target bad actor employers that allegedly exploit undocumented workers. The new worksite enforcement guidance will likely lay the foundation for cooperation between DHS and DOL. It is also supposed to address misuse of E-verify by the employer community. DHS is asking relevant divisions – USCIS, ICE and CBP to provide a review of their enforcement policies that might impact employment and labor standards.

The memo itself is not an announcement of policy, but rather, an announcement of an intent to craft these policies and present them at a later date. There is no clear pathway for public input, other than to continue to voice our concerns behind the scenes to DHS/DOL/Congress about DHS attempting to enforce labor laws, and encouraging the filing of potentially frivolous complaints against employers for the sake of getting protected status to stay in the US.

The IRA will provide further updates as they become available.

Sam Toia on Restaurant Challenges Heading into Winter

IRA President & CEO Sam Toia recent spoke with The Center Square about the ongoing challenges facing restaurants, including lessening customer demand, the need to replenish the Restaurant Revitalization Fund, and the continued importance of outdoor dining options.

“People have grown accustomed to eating outside, and I think that is going to be with us for a while,” said Toia.

Click here to read more.