ATLANTA, Feb. 10, 2015 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) has joined the Coalition to Save Local Businesses, a group of business owners and industry leaders who are campaigning to preserve the joint employer definition, which is in danger due to regulatory overreach by the National Labor Relations Board.
The coalition announced its intentions Tuesday to begin informing Congress of the challenges business owners would face if the NLRB moves forward with expanding the definition of joint employer. The NLRB's general counsel determined in July that McDonald's can be considered a joint employer in labor complaints from workers who are employed by its franchisees. This precedent could tarnish the employer-employee relationship and potentially destroy the franchise model.
In addition to AAHOA's involvement, AAHOA Chairman Pratik Patel is a co-chair of the Coalition to Save Local Businesses.
"As a culture, Asian Americans have a rich tradition of entrepreneurship, self-improvement, and family values. Thousands of Asian immigrants and their families have found owning and operating hotels to be their pathway to the American Dream," Patel said. "However, the National Labor Relations Board's action could undermine all of the hard work our members have put into making their hotels successful. We strongly oppose any action that would diminish the relationship between hoteliers and their employees by wresting control of our members' privately-owned small businesses."
In addition to AAHOA, the coalition includes the American Hotel & Lodging Association, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the National Restaurant Association, the National Retail Federation, the Coalition of Franchisee Associations, the Association for Corporate Growth, the International Council of Shopping Centers, the International Franchise Association, the National Council of Chain Restaurants, the National Federation of Independent Business and the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council.
This important coalition is just one of several AAHOA efforts to ensure that the rights of small business owners are preserved. AAHOA is committed to protecting and enhancing opportunities for its hotel-owner members and all small business owners.
Founded in 1989, AAHOA is the largest hotel owners association in the world, with over 14,000 small business owner-members. AAHOA members own more than 20,000 properties amounting to more than 40 percent of all hotels in the United States and employ nearly 600,000 workers, accounting for over $9.4 billion in payroll annually.