Labor activists focusing on restaurant franchise modelLabor activists focusing on restaurant franchise model

This article does not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editors and management of Nation’s Restaurant News.


Earlier this year, AFL-CIO president Richard Trumka likened the current union and worker center assault on the restaurant and retail sectors to “a death by a thousand cuts.” Whether it’s the wage and benefit proposals sprouting up across the country or street theater protests and public pressure campaigns, the unions are throwing everything they have at the industry.

While some of the tactics are old school, some newer tactics are actually quite creative. Take for instance one of the newer assault targets – the franchise business model itself. Beginning this past summer, liberal media and blogs started hinting that the franchi...