Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009 - (Page 16)

H&MM January 19, 2009 | HotelMotel.com 16 Franchise Law BY MORT ARONSON “The 2008 elections have placed organized labor at the threshold of a major victory.” The Employee Free Choice Act undermines free choice T he franchise community in general and the hotel industry in particular could be in danger of having their economic viability damaged through the enactment of The Employee Free Choice Act, legislation that could materially and unnecessarily increase the cost of their business operations. This legislation is a misnomer, as it reduces employees’ freedom of choice in determining whether they wish to have their business unionized by eliminating the secret ballot election process that was designed to ensure fairness and protect employees and employers during union organizing campaigns. The EFCA says employers must recognize a collective bargaining unit when a simple Request for Proposals Hotel Development The University of New Orleans (UNO) Research and Technology Foundation is seeking proposals from experienced hotel developers for a minimum 100 room hotel. The hotel will provide lodging for guests to UNO’s 600,000 square foot research and technology park, its public and private tenants, nearby businesses, organizations, conference center attendees and visitors to UNO. The 2.3 acre hotel site is adjacent to UNO’s 20,000 square foot conference center on the southern shore of Lake Pontchartrain. The site is ﬁve miles from downtown New Orleans and the French Quarter, and one mile from the Lakefront airport. A unique opportunity for a developer to enter the New Orleans Lakefront market. To receive a copy of the Request for Proposals, please contact Amy Gray at the University of New Orleans Research and Technology Foundation. aggray@uno.edu | 504.280.2800 majority of employees sign cards in public supporting unionization. If the EFCA is enacted into law in 2009, it likely will have a negative impact on the cost of doing franchise business (and other business), particularly with hotels. Just look to the auto industry and the airline industry to see the adverse effects and the increased costs of unions. The International Franchise Assn. is a founding member of a group of businesses named the Coalition for a Democratic Workplace, which protects democratic rights of workers and employers and prevents organized labor from implementing laws to abolish secret ballot elections. More needs TAKEAWAY to be done. I propose the IFA The Employee Free Choice Act, coordinates which could pass meetings of this year, could franchisors and have serious ramiﬁcations for franchisees the industry. (including associations like McDonald’s, Pizza Hut, Marriott International, InterContinental Hotels Group, Asian American Hotel Owners Assn., IAHI and others) to prevent this legislation from being enacted. The 2008 elections have placed organized labor at the threshold of a major victory with EFCA. The House could act as early as this month, and the Senate shortly afterward. The uniﬁed and focused opposition from small business owners and workers, including the franchise community and hotel industry, is needed to prevent this threat to worker privacy rights from becoming law in 2009. Failure to defeat the EFCA could erode the economic viability of corporate America. hmm@questex.com Mort Aronson is an Atlanta attorney and an adjunct professor at Emory Law School. He can be reached at (770) 380-4362 or mortonaronson@ yahoo.com. CIRCLE NO. 133 http://www.HotelMotel.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009

Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009 Contents Select Inn First in Vista's Buying Plans Danzinger Chosen for Round 2 at Wyndham Perspective Energy Star Update Legally Speaking Consultant's Corner Sales Clinic Travel Trends Franchise Law Family Business Cornell Insights HotelWorld Update Transactions Careful Marketing is Key for Timeshare Debt Market Slow for Most Transactions Trends & Stats Proper Mix of Uses Leads to Profitable Partnerships Card Check, Employee Retention Big Issues for CEOs Locking Systems Televisions Fitness Centers/Spas Mattresses Ad/Editorial Index Marketplace Checking Out

Hotel & Motel Management - January 19, 2009

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