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A Legal Blog for Franchisors

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Dan Oates

Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP

Shannon McCarthy

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Scorched! What Happens to a Brand When a Spokesperson Does the Unthinkable? (Part II)

By Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP on September 30, 2015

As my partner, Kathleen Petrich, mentioned in her recent post, Subway took quick action to distance itself from Jared Fogle upon learning of the investigation into his alleged involvement with child pornography. Subway’s actions included removing reference of Jared from its website and from the thousands of Subway restaurants. But how can Subway do that when it does not actually own thousands of those Subway locations?Subway is a franchise system. The majority of…

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If Your Company Uses Subcontracted Labor, the NLRB May Find You to Be a “Joint Employer”

By Wayne Landsverk on August 28, 2015

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB or Board) has just announced its long‑anticipated decision in Browning-Ferris Industries of California, Inc. That case had been pending before the Board since April 2014, when the Board announced that it would reconsider the standards for determining joint‑employer status under the National Labor Relations Act. The Board invited briefs on the issue from the business community, unions, and government agencies. Most observers expected that the decision would favor expansion of…

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Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage: Not Unconstitutionally Discriminatory?

By Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP on March 24, 2015

By now you have likely read that the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington denied the International Franchise Association and five franchisees’ motion for a preliminary injunction. The plaintiffs sought the Court’s relief to enjoin the April 1st implementation of the City of Seattle’s minimum wage ordinance. The IFA announced on Friday that the plaintiffs plan to appeal the court’s decision to the 9th Circuit. The minimum wage ordinance created a $15…

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Breaking: U.S. District Court Rejects IFA’s Request for Preliminary Injunction

By Dan Oates on March 18, 2015

As expected, the United States District Court for the Western District of Washington that heard oral argument last week on the International Franchise Association’s motion for a preliminary injunction against the City of Seattle denied the IFA’s motion and refused to enjoin implementation of the City’s $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance against franchisees. The Court’s Order dismisses as insufficient the IFA’s evidence of statements by three lawmakers and a member of the Mayor’s advisory…

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Court Appears Skeptical of IFA’s Challenge to Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Law

By Dan Oates on March 10, 2015

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington heard oral argument today on the International Franchise Association‘s motion for a preliminary injunction against the City of Seattle. The IFA is seeking to enjoin implementation of the City’s $15 per hour minimum wage ordinance against small franchisees. The ordinance, adopted in 2014, requires large employers (defined as those with more than 500 employees) to raise wages at a faster pace than small businesses.…

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News from Around the World: South Korea and Indonesia

By Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP on March 10, 2015

South Korea Will Woods of Baker & McKenzie gave an update on the 14 February 2014 amendments to the Korean Fair Franchise Transactions Act. A few of the changes that took effect in February are retroactive and will apply to contracts already in place at the time of the amendments. Retroactive amendments include: • franchisors must have ‘just cause’ to require upgrades or improvements to franchised locations; • franchisors are required to share the cost…

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News from Around the World: Germany

By Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP on March 6, 2015

Editor’s Note: This series of posts we’re calling “Around the World” come from a larger piece written by Shannon McCarthy and published in the October 2014 edition of the International Bar Association’s International Franchising Newsletter. Updates were provided by speakers at the Annual IBA/IFA Joint Conference that took place in Chicago in May 2014. Dr. Dagmar Waldzus of Buse Heberer Fromm gave us an update on a couple of recently-decided cases, but first provided a framework…

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Washington DFI Proposed Rule Changes

By Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP on March 2, 2015

The Washington State Department of Financial Institutions recently published proposed changes to the agency regulations governing delivery of an FDD subject to Washington’s Franchise Investment Protection Act. The new provision would expressly permit franchisors to deliver an FDD over the internet or by other electronic means. The current rule is silent as to the method of delivery of an FDD. The rules would require a franchisor to deliver the FDD as a single document that…

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NLRB’s General Counsel Provides a Glimpse of His Thinking on “Joint Employer” Standard

By Doug Berry on November 11, 2014

On July 29, the NLRB’s General Counsel Richard Griffin announced that he would allow administrative actions to proceed against McDonald’s as a “joint employer” of a franchisee’s employees. Since then, the NLRB has been asked to explain the rationale for that decision. While no formal explanation has been provided, POLITICO’s Brian Mahoney recently reported that Griffin informally discussed his views in a talk at the University of West Virginia law school. Griffin’s comments are revealing,…

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News from Around the World: Brazil

By Miller Nash Graham & Dunn LLP on November 4, 2014

Editor’s Note: This series of posts we’re calling “Around the World” come from a larger piece written by Shannon and published in the October 2014 edition of the International Bar Association’s International Franchising Newsletter. Updates were provided by speakers at the Annual IBA/IFA Joint Conference that took place in Chicago in May 2014. Luciana Bassani of Dannemann Siemsen gave an update on Brazil’s new Anti-Corruption Act and its impact on franchising. The Act became effective on 28…

ZorBlog

A Legal Blog for Franchisors

Blog Authors

Scorched! What Happens to a Brand When a Spokesperson Does the Unthinkable? (Part II)

If Your Company Uses Subcontracted Labor, the NLRB May Find You to Be a “Joint Employer”

Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage: Not Unconstitutionally Discriminatory?

Breaking: U.S. District Court Rejects IFA’s Request for Preliminary Injunction

Court Appears Skeptical of IFA’s Challenge to Seattle’s $15 Minimum Wage Law

News from Around the World: South Korea and Indonesia

News from Around the World: Germany

Washington DFI Proposed Rule Changes

NLRB’s General Counsel Provides a Glimpse of His Thinking on “Joint Employer” Standard

News from Around the World: Brazil

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