The Working Lunch

More corporate leaders are dragging their companies into the political and culture wars - and this week was no different. A media founder even went to a new level, potentially violating federal labor law by threatening to fire workers who even consider unionization. We’ll take a look at that. And San Francisco is at it again, this time considering a recycling ordinance that would make most current...

Unfortunately, divisive national politics have come to the front door of the restaurant and retail industry again this week with the tragedies in Dayton, El Paso and Mississippi. How those companies respond will be under tremendous scrutiny and draw severe criticism no matter what they do or say or don’t do or say. We’ll take a look at the terrible choices companies face when events like these unf...

The labor platforms of the Democratic candidates are beginning to take shape. But to what end? Are they really trying to taut policies that could actually become law down the road or are they merely trying to curry favor - and support - from the powerful labor community in the short term. We’ll take a look at that. And Walmart won a huge victory last week at the NLRB that validated their decision...

The little big burger that could. And the union that couldn’t. Little Big Burger won their high-profile union election this week, giving a big loss to the international Workers of the World local that was trying to organize the chain. We’ll discuss what this means to the broader labor movement and what other brands can learn from the tactics employed by the company to repel the union. And Coke and...

The entry-level business model is under another high-profile attack this week as longtime progressive activist Abigail Disney has jumped into the fray calling into question the business practices of the company that bears her name. We’ll discuss the company’s response and what impact it may have on the broader issue. And Subway is in the news this week and it’s not good. It’s not their business mo...

House Democrats plan to hold a vote on a $15/hr minimum wage the details of which will set a new marker in the national conversation and may impact the election prospects of some members in 2020. We'll talk with Matt Haller of the International Franchise Association to learn more. And, this week another strike. This time it’s at Amazon. The team will discuss why the labor work stoppage is back in...

Obamacare may be defunct at the federal level but that’s not stopping states from picking up where the feds left off. California is the latest, and certainly the largest, state to implement a state-level health care mandate. However, it’s unlikely to be the last. In other news, it was recently announced that Amazon for the first time is self-performing the majority of its delivery, which could hav...

The war on packaging is heating up and California is poised to set a new marker that may chance the entire lifecycle of the issue. In an age of increasing delivery demands by consumers, operators are finding themselves in a very difficult position. We discuss that with Shannon Crawford, the Director of State Government Affairs for the Plastics Industry Association. And the online retailer Wayfair...

Apprenticeships and workforce development are getting big headlines these days not just from policy makers but from the private sector as well - and none more so than the restaurant and hospitality sector. Rob Gifford from the National Restaurant Association Educational Foundation joins us to talk about the industry’s leadership in this space. And the President officially launched his reelection c...

The overtime issue is back in the news at both the federal and state level. We’ll take a look at what employers should expect going forward and how the industry is reacting. And the restaurant industry is playing a much more prominent role in the presidential nomination process than it could ever imagine. We thought with notable restaurateurs in the mix, it could potentially be a great opportunity...

A West Coast burger chain has stolen the playbook of a local union and has petitioned the NLRB to HOLD an election - literally asking for an election - and the union is crying foul. We’ll take a deep dive into that ironic turn of events and try to sort it all out. And Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez - the notorious “AOC”, was a celebrity bartender last week in her Queens, New York district...

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is back in the news again, this time teaming up with our old friends at the Restaurant Opportunities Center to return to her roots and do some celebrity bartending and why? - to show solidarity with restaurant and other service industry workers. We’ll discuss why that matters and what the potential implications of that alliance may mean for the industry. And chaos seems to...

This week, McDonald’s held their annual shareholders conference and their political opponents used it as a platform to bash the company yet again. And speaking of political grandstanding, Bernie Sanders is going to Bentonville next month for the Wal-Mart shareholders meeting. We’ll discuss what impact this political theater may have if any on those companies and on the political dialogue. And Texa...

The labor community seems to be easing up on their at filing of unfair labor practice complaints at the Labor Department. Does this mean their organizing efforts are running out of gas? We’ll take a look at that. And a new study shows companies are seriously examining their pay data and working toward correcting any inequities. Are restaurant companies also following suit? We’ll discuss the landsc...

Election time is just around the corner - not 2020 - but 2019 - in five states and we’ll discuss both the local and national implications and how industry issues are playing into the mix. And California and the Trump Administration are at war again - this time over independent worker classification. We’ll talk with attorney Norman Leon of DLA Piper who represents the International Franchise Associ...

The Attorney General of New York is going big game hunting and she has her sights set on President Donald Trump accusing one of his golf course resorts of systematic wage theft. We’ll talk about how that will impact the visibility of an emerging issue. And Maine has become the first state to ban styrofoam, another important inflection point in the war on packaging. We’ll discuss why this matters n...

A new study finds that the effective minimum wage in the United States is nearly $12/hr and when factored for inflation, probably the highest minimum wage in American history. We’ll talk about how that impacts the national conversation around wages as well as the political ramifications for the industry. And California has a bold new initiative for restaurants to engage in the climate conversation...

With the relaxation of marijuana laws across the country, the industry workforce seems to be going up in smoke. We’ll talk to a restaurant operator in Colorado who is dealing with the impacts of recreational marijuana everyday and what it means to his business. And the Stop & Shop strike is getting very political, very fast with the labor agenda taking center stage in the Democratic primary contes...

Current and former CEOs from restaurants to retail to banking are jumping into the minimum wage fracas. Considering the background conversation on taxes and CEO pay, is that a good idea? We’ll kick that around. And Teens are finding their way back to the restaurant industry for that all important first job. We’ll talk about why that’s happening and if there are any public policy ramifications. And...

The Labor Department proposed their long-awaited regulation on joint employer liability potentially clarifying the law for many employers. Matt Haller from the International Franchise Association stops by the podroom to shed light on what’s happening. And the City of Chicago held runoff elections this week and the progressive wing of the Democratic party did very well - including winning the mayor...

McDonald’s has single-handedly turned the minimum wage issue on its head with its announcement that it will no longer oppose minimum wage increases. We’ll have a long discussion getting to the bottom of why they did it, how they did it, and what it means going forward. And the gig economy employers are on the move. Uber and Lyft are literally driving the future of work conversation and traditional...

The unions are back at it. Another chain of burger joints has been targeted in Oregon. We’ll discuss the ramifications for the rest of the industry. Shake Shack is running a test in markets across the country, examining the pros and cons of moving to a four-day work week. We’ll take a look at how that may play out and potentially impact other brands. And we’ll talk to Jeremy Bess from Revenue Mana...

California is looking to require food handler certification for third-party delivery drivers and there are all kinds of implications, not the least of which is joint employer liability. And cities are increasingly getting into the anti-corporate game. We have two cities that are attempting to influence who your suppliers are. And how are we doing on the minimum wage front and what does a win look...

It’s baaack. The dreaded EEO-1 form that companies have to submit to the EEOC divulging pay and gender data has been revived by a federal judge. What does this mean for companies and can the Administration do anything about it. And it's International Women’s Day and we’ll discuss the current state of play on gender issues relative to the industry. And it looks like another activist attorney genera...

The war for control of data is raging and restaurants are finding themselves in the middle of it - especially when it comes to third-party delivery. We’ll discuss what’s happening and why it matters. Also, legislation was introduced in the U.S. Senate that establishes pilot programs regarding portable benefits. We’ll discuss the implications. And artificial intelligence is working its way through...