As we told you several weeks ago, the Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation (BWC) yesterday began paying out an aggregate $5 billion to employers across the Buck-Eye state. Over 178,000 employers will receive the dividends, which come from the surplus in the state workers compensation fund, a result of closings caused by the COVID pandemic…
Read More »This week, DDIFO joined the International Franchise Association (IFA), the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and the Supercuts Franchisee Association in filing a federal lawsuit challenging California Assembly Bill 5 (AB5) law. Filed in the US District Court for the Southern District of California, the lawsuit contends that AB 5 is preempted by the…
Read More »In the seemingly non-stop evolution of face covering mandates, the US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has again updated its Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) guidance on face coverings, this time to coincide with CDC recommendations. In response to the posed question of whether OSHA will consider face coverings to be an integral part of…
Read More »A federal judge has given the Small Business Administration (SBA) until next Thursday, November 19, to release the names of all businesses that received loans under the Paycheck Protection Program. Washington DC-based U.S. District Court Judge James Boasberg ruled that borrower information – including the loan amounts from the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) as well…
Read More »The Small Business Association (SBA) last week began sending out a new questionnaire, the Paycheck Protection Program Loan Necessity Questionnaire (SBA Form 3509), to businesses that received PPP loans in excess of $2 million during the coronavirus pandemic. The agency is demanding new details about individual business operations in order to justify the aid and…
Read More »While we’re on the subject of voting, employers must be aware of their requirements in some states to not only allow their workers time off to go and vote, but to pay them for that time as well. We found this article with the enclosed map particularly helpful in identifying the states where employees are…
Read More »In response to the coronavirus pandemic wreaking havoc on the US economy, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) earlier this year implemented an easing of the rules governing Individual Retirement Accounts and various other (401k, 403, 403b, etc.) retirement plans. This week, the agency announced the inflation-adjusted figures and extended many of the enhanced contribution limits…
Read More »Periodically, we will hear directly from some federal, state or local regulatory agencies asking us to assist with delivering a message to QSR franchisees in general, or Dunkin’ franchisees in particular, about one issue or another. Whenever possible, we try to accommodate these requests and pass along the information. Such was the case again this…
Read More »It didn’t take long for the regulatory and legislative arms of Michigan state government to restore COVID-19 restrictions in the wake of the state Supreme Court invalidating certain executive orders and emergency COVID mandates of Governor Gretchen Whitmer. The good news therein however is HB6030, currently awaiting the Governor’s signature, which provides immunity for businesses…
Read More »In other venues, similar court actions have taken place over the past couple of weeks. We advised you just over one month ago about the federal court in Pittsburgh invalidating a statewide shutdown and stay-at-home order by Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf. Well, last Friday Governor Wolf made good on his promise to veto HB 2513,…
Read More »
