The California legislative session ended on August 31 and the Governor had until September 30 to sign or veto all legislation passed before September 1. Well, as the old saying goes, ‘watch out what you wish for, you might get it!’ And, we got it good. First in a negative to franchise owners, the Governor…
Read More »Starbucks announced last week that it had sent letters to 234 unionized stores offering a three-week window for members of the union bargaining teams to come to the negotiating table. To date, only three of the 234 Starbucks stores that have unionized have begun contract negotiations. None are reported to be close to agreeing to…
Read More »Coming on the heels of a Boston Starbucks finally ending its 64-day strike last week, Starbucks Corporation indicated to Starbucks Workers United union officials that it will be prepared to start labor contract negotiations in October. In a letter sent early this week to the 238 stores that have formally unionized thus far, the company…
Read More »In a decision prompted by the ongoing Starbucks unionization battles, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) yesterday issued a decision in which it modified one of the six factors relating Regional Director discretion in allowing a union representation mail ballot versus an in-person manual ballot election, due to COVID-19 related conditions. Under the terms of…
Read More »California just continues to plow new territory in employment law and business mandates. Most recently, Governor Gavin Newsom, who pundits believe is positioning himself for a possible 2024 run for President, on Tuesday signed into law SB 1162, which will require California employers with 15 or more workers to include pay ranges in all job…
Read More »Notwithstanding issues we may have with many of the political positions Governor Gavin Newsom takes on a host of issues affecting small businesses as outlined above, he delivered on the positive side for franchisees late yesterday when he signed AB 676 into law. That legislation is a franchisee equity piece that clarifies the intent of…
Read More »The 2022 CFA Legal Symposium is just a month away, but you can still register today and save $100 off the registration fee with the CFA discounted Early Bird Rate of only $99. This premier event will be held this year at the Margaritaville Resort in Orlando, Florida, on October 26 & 27! Why not…
Read More »Seemingly without regard for the appearance of, and in further evidence of, unapologetic bias in favor of organized labor, the Atlanta Regional Office of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) this week indicated its intent to reduce a previously agreed to settlement figure of over $13 million against the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA).…
Read More »One unanticipated repercussion of the ongoing 40-year high level of inflation is the impact it is having on automatic minimum wage rates in a number of states. Most recently, three states announced that new minimum wage rates for 2023 will be higher than they had previously anticipated. With minimum wage rates tied to the Consumer…
Read More »Although it should come as a surprise to nobody involved in the franchise business model, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is resurrecting the Obama-era joint employer standard that caused much angst within the industry. The agency has issued a notice of proposed rulemaking, published in the Federal Register on Wednesday of this week, that…
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