Posts tagged Franchise
A fearful October for entrepreneurs
October 29, 2022 // The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is coming after the almost 800,000 franchise owners who employ 8.5 million people. The board’s proposed “Joint Employer” rule, would have catastrophic effects on the franchise industry and restrict the opportunities of small business owners who are franchisees. The NLRB rule would force franchisors — distant corporate headquarters — to come between franchisees and their employees. It would do so by making both the headquarters and the small business employers of workers at the franchisees’ store. Franchisors would become jointly liable for employment issues involving workers or contractors who are employed or “directly controlled” (as the current standard notes) by a small business.
Conservative group launches effort to fight Biden administration workplace rules
October 28, 2022 // If implemented, the new rules could restrict independent contracting, which would force some freelancers to reclassify as employees, and broaden the definition of joint employment, making it harder to own and operate franchise businesses. Because these rules are being proposed by executive branch agencies, they do not go through rounds of debate and votes in Congress. However, under the 1946 Administrative Procedures Act, they must go through a public comment period to receive feedback before being implemented. This is where the group, Heritage Action for America, is trying to make an impact, soliciting comments from the public via a new website.
What expanding the “joint employer” rule will mean for unions
September 8, 2022 // That’s changing now that Democrats are in the White House, and Democratic appointees control the Labor Department and National Labor Relations Board. For instance, the NLRB has just proposed a new labor-friendly rule on “joint-employer” status intended to reverse a Trump-era rule that was more friendly to employers. The NLRB’s new proposed joint-employer rule will make it easier for employees who work for a contractor, staffing or temp agency, or franchise, to drag the big companies higher up the employment chain into labor disputes.
Op-ed: Big Labor Eats Small Business in California
August 31, 2022 // America’s leading antibusiness policy incubator, also known as the state of California, is at it again. The state Assembly passed the so-called FAST Recovery Act in January. It was approved by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Aug. 11. The next stop will be a vote on the Senate floor, followed by Gov. Gavin Newsom’s desk. If the bill becomes law, it will drive up fast-food prices as much as 22% and wipe out the franchise business model, which provides nearly 800,000 jobs in the state.
Opinion, California: State Senate should spike AB 257
August 17, 2022 // You’ve probably seen the self-serve machines at fast-food restaurants. If Assembly Bill 257 passes, there will be a lot more of them. The bill is sponsored by Assemblymember Chris Holden, D-Pasadena, and already has passed the Assembly and two Senate committees. The bill would set up a new state bureaucracy, the Fast Food Sector Council, within the Department of Industrial Relations, with members appointed by the governor, the Assembly speaker and the Senate Rules Committee. In the bill’s language, “The purpose of the council would be to establish sector-wide minimum standards on wages, working hours and other working conditions related to the health, safety and welfare” of fast-food workers.
Commentary: One proposal to modernize labor laws would benefit women; another could set them back decades
May 5, 2022 // The PRO Act seeks to regress to the 1950s workplace that denied workers the flexibility needed to balance work/life demands. The ERA would preserve the gains women have made and provide important rights of autonomy, privacy, and opportunity for women and men alike.
The Employee Rights Act Puts American Workers, Not Union Bosses, in the Driver’s Seat
April 13, 2022 // The Employee Rights Act contains several other provisions to protect workers from union intimidation. The bill criminalizes union threats in the workplace and bans unions from using personal employee data for anything unrelated to campaigns, taking Big Labor’s most aggressive and unethical tactics off the table. The bill also prohibits union “salting,” a tactic where a union pays an individual to apply for a job within a company that has not yet been unionized. Instead of becoming a productive employee, the “salt” is there to organize a union and be Big Labor’s mole on the inside.
To Help Workers, Unions and Democrats Should Support Scott’s ERA
April 13, 2022 // The ERA’s policies are wildly popular. Recent polling shows that 70% of those polled – including 76% of individuals in union households – believe that workers should have the right to a secret ballot. Other major provisions – including the right to withhold dues from political spending, privacy protections, and the criminalization of union threats – poll at an average favorability of 70%.
IDENTIFYING & ADDRESSING TODAY’S LABOR CHALLENGES; A 2022 Study on the Impact of Labor Shortages in Franchising
April 12, 2022 // An inaugural study on the impact of labor shortages on franchised businesses by the International Franchise Association (IFA) and FRANdata reveals the availability of qualified labor is the number one challenge facing small businesses today. The study shows how the franchise business model is uniquely equipped to adapt to today's challenges, highlighting the many ways franchisors are helping their franchisees address the labor shortage.
Labor Relations Radio, Ep 13—Guest: Michael Layman of the International Franchise Association
April 1, 2022 // Michael Layman of the International Franchise Association From the ‘ABC Test’ to ‘Joint Employer,’ the franchise business model is under assault on multiple fronts, with millions of jobs at stake.