We began work with Dunkin’ franchisees over 30 years ago. We have grown up together. Our community of achievers has reaped the personal and professional rewards from hard work, dedication to growth, attention to detail and clear intent. But pressure from regulatory changes and higher operating costs have weighed on the entire community. Beyond labor…
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As most of you know, on Nov. 4, federal workplace safety officials released a mandate-or-test workplace vaccine emergency rule. The Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) developed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) would require all covered employers with 100 or more employees to either mandate employees be fully vaccinated against Covid-19 or require employees…
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President Biden has delivered on the promise he made during his presidential campaign for more employment protections for workers. This presidential transition has brought about significant changes to the composition and leadership of federal agencies, including the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and the Department of Labor (DOL). The NLRB now consists of a Democratic…
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At the end of July 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) implemented a final rule to rescind the “Joint Employer Status under the Fair Labor Standards Act,” also known as the Joint Employer Rule, which first published in January 2020 under the Trump administration. This action should come as no surprise if you are…
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The coronavirus pandemic has had a profound impact on the restaurant industry. By the beginning of Q4 2020, more than 1.4 million jobs in franchised businesses were lost and more than 32,000 franchised businesses had closed. Now, with states opening up and a gradual return to business as usual, we are cautiously approaching the light…
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Once elected, President Joe Biden made it clear he would make swift and sweeping changes at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in order to advance his pro-worker agenda. Soon after promising to be “the strongest labor president you have ever had,” Biden fired General Counsel Peter Robb along with Robb’s deputy. He has since…
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Last year roughly 653,000 businesses left California for greener and more business-friendly pastures. More recently, California voters soundly rejected the Proposition 22 ballot initiative, which would have classified app-based drivers as employees instead of independent contractors. This was a direct response to the hotly contested state law known as AB-5, which attempts to codify the…
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The COVID-19 pandemic has brought small business numerous challenges. We can now add another to the list: Employees filing increasing numbers of COVID-19 related lawsuits. In fact, according to the Fisher Phillips Employment Litigation Tracker, as of November 1, COVID-19 related lawsuits have been filed against 950 employers. The highest number of lawsuits were filed…
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With fall upon us, employers should prepare for renewed requests for COVID-related paid leave due to school/childcare responsibilities. Many schools are re-opening as, or switching to, a remote curriculum or a hybrid model, mixing both remote and in-person learning. The result will leave parents scrambling to balance work and childcare needs and employers uncertain about…
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The rules related to obtaining a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan and receiving forgiveness of that loan are changing constantly. As a result, it is likely that by the time this article is published in July, the rules and guidance will have changed significantly. With that in mind, rather than attempt to guess what the…
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