Lawmaker Wants to Clarify That Franchisors Are Not Joint Employers

Pennsylvania Rep. Todd Stephens, R-Montgomery, plans to introduce legislation to clarify that franchisors are not joint employers for purposes of workers’ compensation and other state laws. Franchisors have not generally been considered to be employers of a franchisee or a franchisee’s workers, unless the franchisor exercises direct and immediate control over the franchisee’s employment conditions, Stephens said in a memo last week to other House members. But the National Labor Relations Board in 2015 ruled that a franchisor can be considered a joint employer of franchi...