On Tuesday, administrative law judge Lauren Esposito rejected a proposed settlement that would have allowed McDonalds to avoid being labeled a “joint employer”, and therefore absolved of all responsibility in labor-law violations at it’s franchises. Esposito wrote in her opinion that the scope of the grievances involved in the case, which has been ongoing since 2012, would not be remedied by the proposed settlement. McDonalds said that they feel it is fair and reasonable, and the company may appeal the decision to the republican-controlled NLRB. In the proposed settlement, the company agreed to pay between $20 and $50,000 to every employee who claimed they were fired for participating in the national “fight-for-fifteen” movement. This case is an important test of how a 2015 NLRB ruling that made it easier to find a company liable for labor law violations by contractors would apply to franchises.
See "U.S. labor board judge rejects McDonald's bid to settle franchisees' case", Daniel Wiessner, Reuters, July 18, 2018