As we advised you last week, the state of New York is just one of several state and local governments that have recently dropped masking mandates as COVID infections from the omicron variant decline across the country. At the same time however, New York has extended the application of the so-called HEROES Act for another…
Read More »As we know from the recent experience that Starbucks stores have gone through and that we’ve reported on above, efforts to unionize have been increasing at an unprecedented rate. From your local union branch to the White House, franchised businesses are being targeted for unionization across the country. In timely response, the Coalition of Franchisee…
Read More »With a renewed focus on bad actors within the franchise industry, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) took a significant step this week when the Department of Justice (DOJ) filed suit against franchisor Burgerim alleging in a four-count lawsuit that the company violated Section 5 of the FTC with false and misleading representations to potential…
Read More »In case the ongoing unionizing efforts in QSRs wasn’t enough, One Fair Wage, the union advocacy arm of the Restaurants Opportunities Center (ROC) United, has appealed a decision dismissing a lawsuit challenging the validity of the tipped minimum wage to the US Circuit Court of Appeals for the 9th District. In the One Fair Wage,…
Read More »It’s been a bit of a roller coaster over the past few weeks for the New York statewide mask mandate imposed by Governor Kathy Hochul back on December 13, 2021, but the mandate will now remain in place at least through next Thursday, February 10. Originally set to expire on January 15, then extended to…
Read More »Considering how the Trump administration, the then-republican controlled Congress and the courts pecked away at mandates of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) (a.k.a. ObamaCare), it’s easy to forget that there are still obligations under the ACA with which employers must comply. In that vein, ACA reporting deadlines under the federal law for Applicable Large Employers…
Read More »Notwithstanding the fanfare with which DOL announced the ETS and its subsequent withdrawal (as detailed above), there was very little notice made about a new joint guidance issued by DOL along with the Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Treasury requiring employer health plans – whether fully insured or self-insured – to cover…
Read More »For those who may operate Dunkin’ stores on federal property, associated labor costs will be rising again with the implementation of a federal employee and contractor minimum wage increase to $15 per hour no later than Sunday, January 30, 2022. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) released guidance last week directing all government agencies to…
Read More »The District Court for the District of Southern California has dismissed a lawsuit challenging the validity of California’s AB5 law. The challenge, which was filed by the International Franchise Association (IFA) along with DDIFO, the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA) and the Supercuts Franchisee Association (SFA) back in November 2020, centered around California‘s ABC…
Read More »New York Governor Kathy Hochul has again extended the designation of COVID-19 as a “highly contagious communicable disease” and thereby kept the provisions of the Health and Essential Rights Act (HERO Act) in full force and effect. The designation, now extended to February 15, triggers obligations for New York employers to keep their airborne infectious…
Read More »