Immigrants’ Boycott could hurt businesses trying to help.

The boycott to highlight the economic importance of immigrants is being organized to protest immigration legislation enacted by the House last December. However, the boycott, which encourages immigrants not to attend school or work on May 1, could hurt companies that have been vocal advocates of treating illegal workers fairly through comprehensive immigration reform in Congress, according to the National Council of Chain Restaurants, a division of the National Retail Federation.

“No one understands how vital immigrants have become to America’s economy better than the chain restaurant industry,” said Scott Vinson, Vice President of Government Affairs for NCCR. “Unfortunately, these work boycotts have the potential to handcuff the very businesses that have worked so hard for immigration reform. Chain restaurant employers have long advocated for comprehensive reform that includes a temporary worker program, as well as a path to legal resident status for the undocumented workers present in the country.”

As a founding member of the Essential Worker Immigration Coalition, NCCR has been actively lobbying for immigration reform since 2000. Chain restaurants, which rely on immigrants as core members of their workforce, were some of the first to lobby members of Congress on the shortage of both semi-skilled and unskilled labor. NCCR has also been a vocal advocate of policies that would facilitate the employment of essential workers by U.S. companies that are unable to find Americans to do those jobs.

To continue to serve their customers, chain restaurants have created contingency plans in the event that their workforce is compromised on the day of the boycott. Additionally, restaurants are communicating their stance on immigration reform to employees, assuring them that they are both on the same side. Some NCCR members are urging employees to select a single individual to attend the protest so as not to disrupt work schedules. Others are offering extra compensation for working that day or encouraging employees to be vocal on the need for immigration reform after working their scheduled shifts.

The National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR), a division of the National Retail Federation (NRF), is a national trade association representing forty of the nation’s largest multi-unit, multi-state chain restaurant companies. These forty companies own and operate more than 50,000 restaurant facilities.

For more information at http://www.nccr.net