FMI – The Food Industry Association backs bipartisan legislation to preserve hiring incentives for veterans, SNAP recipients and other workers facing employment barriers.
FMI – The Food Industry Association has joined 473 other businesses and organizations in urging Congress to extend the Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC), a federal program that provides tax incentives to employers hiring individuals who face barriers to employment.
The Arlington, Va.-based association is among 474 signatories to an Oct. 30 coalition letter calling on lawmakers to act during the post-election lame-duck session. The effort brings together employers and trade associations from multiple industries seeking to preserve the credit and enact changes intended to improve its effectiveness.
WOTC, established in 1996, allows eligible employers to claim federal income tax credits for hiring workers from designated groups, including veterans, recipients of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly incarcerated individuals and certain long-term unemployed workers.
For grocery retailers, wholesalers and food manufacturers, the program provides a financial incentive to recruit workers who might otherwise face difficulty entering or reentering the workforce.
“FMI is thrilled to join 473 other organizations and employers, including our members and state association partners, in calling on Congress in a broad industry letter to enact an extension of the Work Opportunity Tax Credit,” said Christine Pollack, FMI vice president of government relations.
Pollack said the association has supported WOTC since its creation 30 years ago, describing it as an important workforce development tool for food industry employers.
Coalition Backs Bipartisan Legislation
FMI is supporting the bipartisan Improve and Enhance the Work Opportunity Tax Credit Act (H.R. 6231/S. 3265), which would extend the program and make changes to its existing provisions.
The Critical Labor Coalition, of which FMI is a member, launched its WOTC Works campaign earlier this year to build support for the legislation.
The coalition’s effort comes as employers across the food industry continue to manage recruitment, retention and labor costs. WOTC can help offset some of the expense associated with bringing eligible workers into the workforce, although the benefit depends on employee eligibility, wages paid and other program requirements.
“When Congress returns to Washington, it must heed the urgent call from food industry employers and hundreds of other businesses and organizations around the country to preserve and strengthen WOTC,” Pollack said. “This tax credit is an important investment in connecting job seekers with meaningful employment in a diversity of opportunities within the food industry.”