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Legislative Update Coffee In California May Soon Carry Cancer Warning A preliminary decision from a California superior court judge in Los Angeles could force thousands of coffee shops—including Starbucks, 7-Eleven, McDonald’s and others—to put a cancer warning on coffee sold in the state, according to published reports. e nonprofit Council for Education and Research on Toxics sued some 90 coffee retailers in 2010 on grounds they were violating a California law requiring companies to warn consumers of chemicals in their products that could cause cancer. One of those chemicals is acrylamide, a byproduct of roasting coffee beans that is present in high levels in brewed coffee. e suit asked for damages and a label to warn consumers. e judge said in a decision dated March 28 that Starbucks and other companies had failed to show there was no significant risk from a carcinogen produced in the coffee roasting process, court documents showed. According to a report by CNN, at least 13 of the defendants had settled prior to this decision and agreed to give a warning.
McDonald's Settles Joint Employer Case McDonald’s recently agreed to settle a U.S. Labor Board case on whether the company is accountable for its franchisees’ alleged labor law violations, reported Reuters. e settlement, which must be “A U.S. Labor approved by a National Labor RelaBoard/McDonald’s tions Board judge, would allow Mccase that would have Donald’s to avoid a ruling that it is a made franchisors “joint employer” of workers at McDonald’s franchises and can be held liable more vulnerable to lawsuits from unions when franchisees violate federal labor law. McDonald’s did not admit to any representing franwrongdoing in the settlement, the chise workers has exact terms of which were not immedibeen settled.” ately clear. Business groups had said that a ruling against McDonald’s could upend the franchising model by making franchisors more vulnerable to lawsuits and requiring them to bargain with unions representing franchise workers. 18
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Union-backed worker advocacy group Fight for $15 filed dozens of legal claims on behalf of McDonald’s workers beginning in 2012. e group said workers across the United States were fired for taking part in protests calling for higher wages. Fight for $15 lawyer Micah Wissinger said the group would object to the proposed settlement.
Illinois Governor Opposes Raising Gas Taxes Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner opposes an increase in the state’s gas tax as a way to fund any infrastructure upgrades, but details on his plans for projects and how to fund them are light, reported the Journal Courier. e Illinois Chamber of Commerce and national transportation research group TRIP said half the roads in Illinois are in bad shape, and without repairs and improvements roads will get worse. Rauner said he’s proposing significant increases in infrastructure spending, and is asking lawmakers to approve money to pay interest on bond debt for such projects. e Illinois Petroleum Marketers Association and Illinois Association of Convenience Stores have long opposed any increase in the state’s gas tax. As it is, consumers near border communities go to neighboring states for cheaper gas, they said, and when consumers leave the state to buy gas they also buy other goods. Illinois taxed gasoline at 34.01 cents a gallon in 2017, which is more than Missouri (17.3 cents a gallon), Kentucky (26 cents) and Indiana (33.6 cents).
Florida Bills Exclude Soda From SNAP Benefits Two bills—SM 1016 and HM 847—were recently introduced in the Florida legislature that would make Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits unavailable for so drinks purchase, reported WUFT-FM. Both bills were introduced on January 9, 2018 but have not moved in either the Florida Senate or House of Representatives since then. If signed, the legislative initiatives could affect Florida families and businesses, as well as the soda industry. Allowing the government to designate foods as “good” and “bad” would create a food code more complicated than the tax code and grow government bureaucracy without saving tax dollars, the Florida Beverage Association said. continued on page 20