On 19 December, the general counsel's office of the National Labor Relations Board, the federal agency in charge of monitoring trade union relations, announced that it had issued complaints against McDonald's as a putative joint employer of franchise employees, so that it would thus be held liable for violations committed by said franchises. After announcing its intention to prosecute the fast food giant if no compromise was found, the agency's service in charge of leading investigations and initiating proceedings due to unfair labor practices held true to its word.
It accused McDonald’s franchises of carrying out retaliatory actions against employees that had participated in demonstrations backed by the SEIEU trade union and other groups to obtain a sector-wide 15-dollar minimum wage (see article no. 8544). The demonstrations started in New York two years ago and then spread to around a hundred American cities.
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