Lauren Gellatly
Small Business Groups Applaud Revival of ...

With the news of the Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) lawsuit against large wine and spirits distributor Southern Glazer’s for violating the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA) by using their market dominance to extract lower pricing from wholesalers, Small Business Rising coalition members applaud the reactivation of this important regulatory power for fair markets.

Small Business Groups Applaud Revival of Predatory Buying Statute by FTC
Lauren Gellatly
Independent Business Advocates Encouraged by ...

The Small Business Rising coalition and the Institute for Local Self-Reliance released the following statement in response to the Department of Justice (DOJ) Antitrust Division’s lawsuit against Visa for illegally punishing or threatening to punish merchants with higher fees if they try to use competing services to process debit card payments.

Independent Business Advocates Encouraged by the DOJ’s Lawsuit Against Visa Monopoly
Lauren Gellatly
Small Business Groups Across America Show ...
Small Business Groups Across America Show Support for CCCA
Lauren Gellatly
Small Business Groups Urge FTC to Enforce ...

More than a dozen independent business associations representing thousands of Main Street businesses have urged the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to revive Robinson-Patman Act enforcement. READ FULL LETTER.

“The undersigned organizations representing thousands of small businesses across our country write urging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to use long-dormant regulatory powers to address predatory buying practices from dominant corporations by enforcing the Robinson-Patman Act (RPA). The responsibility to ensure fairness in our markets for both consumers and small businesses is vital for a functioning democracy. And we’re running out of time.

Small Business Groups Urge FTC to Enforce Predatory Buying Law
Lauren Gellatly
New York Small Businesses and Independent ...

Washington, DC – Today, the New York State Assembly and Senate took important steps to level the playing field for small businesses by advancing the 21st Century Antitrust Act. The bill would usher in much needed reforms to the state’s existing antitrust laws and would place New York at the forefront of a movement to rein in corporate power and create a fair, open marketplace for independent businesses. 

10+ independent business organizations and small business advocates endorsed the bill, including:

New York Small Businesses and Independent Business Groups Applaud New York for Reining in Monopoly Power

Small Business Rising Member Participates in Senate Briefing

On May 4, a small business owner and member of Small Business Rising participated in a Senate briefing, alongside other experts and members of impacted communities, to expose the ways monopoly power poses a threat to our democracy, undermines the health of our economy, and exacerbates racial disparities.

This is a crucial moment for antitrust nationally. With the Biden administration nominating strong leaders, such as Lina Khan, to the Federal Trade Commission and Congress poised to consider antitrust legislation, this briefing focused on why we need to rein in monopolies and unveiled the latest polling data showing strong public support for curbing Amazon's power. It was co-hosted by Sen. Amy Klobuchar, the Athena coalition, and American Family Voices,

You can watch the briefing here.

You can find a summary of the polling here.

Among the speakers was an Arizona-based business owner, who is a third-party seller on Amazon and member of Small Business Rising. Fearing retaliation by Amazon, he chose to remain anonymous.

Other speakers included Maurice BP-Weeks, Co-Executive Director, Action Center for Race and Economy; Tyler Hamilton, Amazon warehouse worker at MSP1 and Awood Center member; Veena Dubal, Professor of Law, UC Hastings Law; Myaisha Hayes, Campaign Strategies Director, Media Justice; Stacy Mitchell, Co-Director, Institute for Local Self-Reliance (ILSR); and Celinda Lake, Political Strategist and President, Lake Research Partners.

Podcast: Small Business Rising is Fighting Monopoly Power

Small Business Rising was featured on this episode of Building Local Power. Small Business owners Danny Caine, owner of The Raven Book Store, and Natasha Amott, owner of Whisk, a homewares store, talk monopoly power, community impact, and the importance of joining together, across industry and geographic region, to call on federal policymakers to reign in monopoly power. Listen now:

Their conversation touches on:

  • Trends they’ve seen in their industries, and at what point they realized monopoly power was behind many of the challenges they are facing.

  • Why independent businesses are so important to communities.

  • Why it’s important for small businesses to come together across sectors to challenge monopoly power, and why small businesses and labor shouldn’t be pitted against each other.

  • The interconnected harms Amazon causes communities, including negative impacts on health, jobs, the environment, and more.

“To make this whole thing seem like this is just a single bookstore that’s mad about its prices makes it too easy to write it off. It’s much too narrow of a view of the argument. And as soon as you do any reading on the Amazon issue or about big tech monopolies, you realize just how many industries are affected by this, and how big Amazon is. So coalition building and teaming up both at the local and the national level, is vital to actually get something done, and also to convince people of the importance of this.”

“I hear David versus Goliath tossed around a lot, because we’re a little bookstore that has a really vocal anti-Amazon stance. But that’s not how I see it because it affects so many people. And if we all get together, we’re not actually that small. And I think Small Business Rising is a really important way to do that.”

Support of Lina Khan’s Nomination to the FTC

Small businesses need strong leaders who will stand up to #BigTech.

We submitted this letter to the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation to express our strong support of Lina Khan’s nomination to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). We believe Ms. Khan is an obvious choice to join the FTC because of her deep expertise in antitrust law, extensive government and policymaking experience, and commitment to fostering an entrepreneurial, equitable, and prosperous economy. Ms. Khan is especially well-qualified to help reinvigorate the FTC at a time when the agency’s enforcement authority is critically important to addressing market power problems and restoring competition.

Read the full letter here.

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The Wall Street Journal Features Small Business Rising

Amazon Is the Target of Small-Business Antitrust Campaign

“WASHINGTON—Merchant groups are forming a national coalition to campaign for stricter antitrust laws, including measures they hope could force Amazon.com Inc. to spin off some of its business lines.

The effort is being launched Tuesday by trade groups that represent small hardware stores, office suppliers, booksellers, grocers and others, along with business groups from 12 cities, organizers say. Merchants plan to push their congressional representatives for stricter antitrust laws and tougher enforcement of existing ones.

The groups, which collectively represent thousands of businesses, want federal legislation that would prevent the owner of a dominant online marketplace from selling its own products in competition with other sellers, a policy that could effectively separate Amazon’s retail product business from its online marketplace.”

Link: Full Article Published 4/6/2021

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Our Antimonopoly Town Hall Draws Nearly 400 Independent Businesses

Nearly 400 people tuned in to our lively town hall on February 22nd, which detailed how Amazon’s growing dominance hurts independent businesses and what Congress must do to curb monopoly power. The event featured Congressman David Cicilline, who chairs the House’s antitrust subcommittee, along with leading antitrust experts and small business advocates.  The event was co-hosted by 18  national and local independent business organizations. Business owners, including a Lawrence, Kan. bookstore owner, a grocer from Opelika, Ala., and an office products dealer in Washington, D.C., shared their stories and asked what Congress can do to address Amazon’s market power squeezing their businesses.

Letter to President Biden on Antitrust Appointments

Fifteen independent business associations, representing over 60,000 independent businesses across the country, have submitted a letter to President Biden urging him to appoint personnel who are committed to restoring competition, ensuring small businesses have a fair shot, and willing to use the full extent of their legal authority granted by Congress. Read coverage in The Hill.

 
The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

The White House from Washington, DC, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons