Fast Food Franchise Owners Ask Congress For Help To Stop Worker Campaign For Wages, Union

[Omaha Steve]

Source: Think Progress

BY ALAN PYKE

The fast food industry is hoping that a day of lobbying on Capitol Hill can blunt the momentum that fast food workers have gained through nearly two years of strikes and multiple lawsuits.

The International Franchise Association (IFA) is flying fast food store owners and other franchisees into Washington on Tuesday to drum up congressional opposition to a recent legal decision that could make corporations liable for how franchise employees are treated. The trade group expects more than 350 business owners from both the franchisee and franchisor sides of the business model to show up at its event this week, according to The Hill. Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) and former Republican Governors Association head and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour are scheduled to speak to the group, and the paper reports that top Senate Republicans will introduce legislation targeting federal labor regulators in general later this week.

The top attorney for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) determined in July that McDonald’s exerts so much control over how franchisees operate that they are responsible for labor law violations committed by franchise owners. That finding has yet to be tested in court, but if it holds up and is applied beyond the nation’s largest fast food chain, it would make it much harder for industries that rely on franchising to stymie workers’ attempts to exercise their labor rights.

IFA President Steve Caldeira said the board’s decision about McDonald’s franchisees “would essentially take away their autonomy to run their own business.” But franchisees enjoy little autonomy under the restrictive agreements they sign with the corporation now.

FULL story at link.



McDonald’s Hamburglar character steals imaginary food from other characters. The company steals real wages from its workers.
CREDIT: FLICKR USER SORTOFBREAKIT

Read more: http://thinkprogress.org/economy/2014/09/16/3567898/fast-food-franchise-lobby-day/

[hobbit709]

1. Fuck them.

[PatrickforO]

19. You bet.

[Loki]

28. Double that.

As they bank their millions in profit into their own bank accounts.

[RoccoR5955]

31. Not even with a ten foot pole.

Anyone got an eleven foot pole to ram up their posterior?

[matt819]

33. Precisely

That was my reaction. They want a free market, they gotta behave accordingly. Can't go crying to Capitol Hill. You know, small government and all.

[Ash_F]

34. +1 /nt

[Politicalboi]

2. The GOP will need these to talk

<a href="http://imgur.com/VxINaLr"><img src="" title="Hosted by imgur.com"/></a>

[marble falls]

3. Chickenshit cowards.

[SummerSnow]

4. "Help us Congress by stopping workers for fighting for a living wage!!!"

IMPOSSIBLE!!

[diabeticman]

5. Damn Bastards! Hey, Rich jerks if your employees can't afford to buy a effin' value meal from your

own store because the value meal is MORE than what the Employee makes in an hour you are causing a serious problem in the country!

[LittleGirl]

7. +1 eom

[Fred Sanders]

6. Franchise owners whining about the Labor Board taking away their autonomy made me laugh.

As if McDonalds franchisee being permitted to select washroom tile colours gives them autonomy. As if the franchisee cared for anything else other than their own bottom line.

All the head office wants is obedience and your monthly royalty payment.

[muntrv]

14. "But franchisees enjoy little autonomy under the restrictive agreements they sign with the

corporation."

[KamaAina]

8. Oh, cry me a river.

And call the whole lot of them a whole fleet of these.

[Downwinder]

9. Send in the Military to make Big Macs and bus tables.

[cstanleytech]

10. Personally I agree with the NLRB on this ruling and it should be applied to any corporation

that gets to close and is essentially running the operation for the franchise owner.

[mountain grammy]

11. 25 years ago, when our son was a teen working for Dominos

we found out he was scheduled to be at work at a certain time but not allowed to punch in until it got busy. My husband told the regional manager: "I'm trying to teach my son to be to work on time and you're teaching him it's ok to steal from workers. Your workers need a union to protect them from you corporate crooks!" They're still at it.

[BrotherIvan]

12. I'm sure they will get all the help they want

Yes, I'm cynical.

[Diclotican]

13. Omaha Steve

Omaha Steve

Another reason to not go to McDonald - other than their crappy hamburger - by accident I was buying myself a Big Mac - who I remember as a rather big hamburger - but the one I got - was no big-Mac - rather opposite, and the hamburger tasted not good either... In fact I was tempted go in - and complain about the burger - not just for the size - but also because of the taste.... But I guess they have enough on their plate as it is - even here in Norway McDonald do not like union workers - and is not exactly happy if anyone tries to do it - but they do not have the legal recourse to do it - even if they tend to fire the ones who state unions to fight for better pay....

Diclotican

[progressoid]

15. Imagine if they took the time and money spent on lobbying and instead spent it on making

their employees lives a little less miserable.

[perdita9]

16. Fast Food - poisoning bodies, poisoning politics

There's a salad at Burger King I really liked but, when they moved to Canada to skip out on taxes, I swore off Burger King forever.

[Half-Century Man]

17. In honor of this shitty trick.

The new demand is $17.80 per hour.....your move burger clowns

[daleanime]

18. And they will probably get it....

stolen enough form their employees over the years that it's no trouble buying congress.

[locdlib]

20. "The International Franchise Association (IFA) is flying fast food store owners and other

franchisees into Washington on Tuesday to drum up congressional opposition to a recent legal decision that could make corporations liable for how franchise employees are treated."

Now imagine if they would actually spend that money paying their employees decent living wages . . .

[whereisjustice]

21. Alternate Headline: Pink Slime Invades Congress

[IthinkThereforeIAM]

22. +1 ...

...eom.

[freshwest]

23. No mystery what Boehner will do. The GOP already promotes no minimum wage now, the Koch agenda.

[redruddyred]

24. well, that shows you whose team they are on

washington, that is.

[cantbeserious]

25. The 1% Will Prevail - That Is What Campaign Donations Are For

eom

[Todays_Illusion]

26. They have come to defend their business model, the one based on tax supported workers and wage

theft.

Earned income tax credit is how to use taxpayer funds to support low wage payers.

Not to mention those tax cuts, received, no job increases, but an increase in schemes like bank cards to reduce worker pay.

[DesertDiamond]

27. My brother had an Aamco shop for a while, and he told me the parent corporation's contract includes

the assurance that the workers will be well paid. This can be done everywhere.

[cascadiance]

29. Simple Solution: STOP STEALING MORE MONEY FROM YOUR WORKERS!!!

Are you really going to hurt by having only millions instead of billions of dollars for your CEO?

You pay your workers more of your profits, you will likely get more profits for everyone to share from when they provide more demand in the economy!

Stop being SELFISH F-ING BASTARDS that just want the government to support them, and still complain about having "socialism" there for the rest of us!

[kelliekat44]

30. Well, they sure know where to turn for help. nt

[grahamhgreen]

32. Cuz they hate big govt.

[Dopers_Greed]

35. Well, well

Haven't these evil idiots been saying that government intervention is "bad for business"? Guess they aren't against it when the government intervenes on their behalf.

[sammy750]

36. YET voters will elect the Republican and Tea Party clowns back into office.

The stupid voters will again elect the Republicans back into office, The less they work, the more the American voters love them.

[L0oniX]

37. How nice of them to squeeze the bottom so they can pay for lobbyists.

[classykaren]

38. OMG I can't believe the Balls of these people.

[LiberalFighter]

39. There needs to be a national boycott of fast food joints once a month or so.