Although certainly not a silver bullet, legislation was filed late last month to help franchisees address the current labor shortage. The Essential Worker for Economic Advancement Act (EWEA) was filed by Representative Lloyd Smucker (R-PA-11) on March 28. EWEA would create a three-year H-2C visa program for nonimmigrant service workers who would fill nonagricultural jobs that have lower education thresholds. The program is intended for small businesses in industries – such as QSRs – with comparatively low sales per employee. Under the proposed legislation (H.R. 7239), the visas would be issued for three years and renewable for an additional six years. The bill currently calls for an annual cap of 65,000 workers with flexibility after the first year for the total number to rise to as many as 85,000 visas or drop no lower than 45,000 visas. In concert with the Coalition of Franchisee Associations (CFA), we would ask franchisees to Click Here and ask your representative to support the Essential Workers for Economic Advancement Act!