Government Relations

NRF announced today that it will formally oppose a proposed settlement of a federal antitrust lawsuit over credit card swipe fees charged by Visa and MasterCard, and urged retailers to carefully consider their own decisions before next week’s deadline set by the court.

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from Senior Vice President David French on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit’s 2-1 decision invalidating President Obama’s “recess” appointments to the National Labor Relations Board:

The North American Bangladesh Worker Safety Working Group, a collaboration of five U.S. and Canadian apparel and retail trade associations, today reinforced its commitment to improving worker safety in Bangladesh and outlined a broad set of proposals to further that goal.

Import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 3.3 percent in May over the same month last year but growth could trickle to a standstill by the end of the summer, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.

The National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association – today issued the following statement from NRF Chairman of the Board Stephen I. Sadove of Saks Incorporated and NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay on the Senate passage of S.743, the Marketplace Fairness Act:

A new study commissioned by the National Retail Federation and other trade associations shows that imported merchandise has considerably lowered the price of consumer goods for American families while creating millions of jobs for American workers.

The National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association – today distributed a letter to members of the U.S. Senate urging them to support local retailers and small business owners by approving S.743, the Marketplace Fairness Act, which is scheduled for a Senate vote on Monday evening. In the letter, NRF labeled votes on the Marketplace Fairness Act as key votes.

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from NRF President and CEO Matthew Shay and NRF Chief Economist Jack Kleinhenz on the April employment numbers:

The NRF Foundation, the careers and education division of the National Retail Federation, today announced the launch of its new Retail Insight Center, a website designed to serve as a resource for researching industry, government, economic and consumer trends within the retail industry.

The National Retail Federation today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on the U.S. Senate vote to proceed with debate on S.743, the Marketplace Fairness Act:

The National Retail Federation today distributed a letter to members of the U.S. Senate informing them of NRF’s decision to key vote the series of anticipated votes on S. 743, the Marketplace Fairness Act. Specifically, NRF will key vote the vote to invoke cloture on the motion, which is expected Monday evening and reserves the right to key vote amendments to the Marketplace Fairness Act as well as final passage.

The National Retail Federation – the world’s largest retail trade association – today issued the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on the introduction of the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act of 2013, an effort to reform the U.S. immigration system:

Consumers cooled spending in March as the impact of colder weather across the country and harmful fiscal policy, namely the payroll tax hike, caught up to the economy and weakened retail sales. According to the National Retail Federation, the world’s largest retail trade association, March retail sales (excluding automobiles, gas stations and restaurants) decreased 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted from last month and increased 1.6 percent unadjusted year-over-year.

The National Retail Federation will announce today a new initiative to broaden and enhance perceptions of the industry beyond providing consumers with great products. NRF’s This is Retail: Careers, Community, Innovation campaign, will highlight the industry’s opportunities for life-long careers, how retailers strengthen communities at home and abroad, and the critical role that retail plays in driving innovation.

The National Council of Chain Restaurants today issued the following statement from NCCR Executive Director Rob Green on the introduction of the Renewable Fuel Standard Reform Act, which seeks to limit the scope and costs of the federal government’s requirements on the use of corn-based ethanol and other biofuels:

The National Retail Federation issued the following statement today from Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy Jonathan Gold on the International Longshoreman’s Association (ILA) vote approving a new, long-term master labor contract covering port terminal operations along the East and Gulf Coast ports:

The National Retail Federation today sent a letter to members of the U.S. House of Representatives to express its support for H.R. 1120, the Preventing Greater Uncertainty in Labor-Management Relations Act, which is expected to come to the House floor for a full vote later this week.

With Customs officials saying they hope to minimize the impact of federal spending cuts on cargo processing, import volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.7 percent in April over the same month last year, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.

The National Retail Federation released the following statement from President and CEO Matthew Shay on the U.S. Senate’s passage of the marketplace fairness amendment to the FY14 budget resolution:

Import cargo volume at the nation’s major retail container ports is expected to increase 2.3 percent in March over the same month last year despite federal spending cuts that could slow down cargo processing, according to the monthly Global Port Tracker report released by NRF and Hackett Associates.