The National Restaurant Association--the other NRA--bought an online food-safety course about 15 years ago. Then it lobbied to make food-safety training mandatory. With the money it made on courses, it was able to double its spending on politics and lobbying.

Any time there's a bill to raise the minimum wage (or get rid of tip credits, which let restaurants pay even less than the minimum), the NRA's lobbyists spend heavily to defeat it. They have a pretty strong record.

About $25 million of the NRA's lobbying fund since 2010 came from restaurant workers, more than 3.6 million of them, who took the food-safety course. "Labor unwittingly helps to pay for management’s lobbying," write @Fahrenthold & @talmonsmith .

@pete_wells @nycsouthpaw Seems organized labor could create and promote an alternative

@pete_wells @drewmagary Wow, that’s awful.

@pete_wells I’ve always wondered about fine dining having chefs to bring knives/spoons etc. Bring your own computer would be the office equivalent

@pete_wells That’s disgusting.