---
title: "Unions, Obamacare behind NLRB ‘assault’ on franchises"
url: https://burnaze.com/article/439650be-1611-46ba-93c4-0a3832ab21ce
source: "1851 Franchise"
original_url: https://1851franchise.com/unions-obamacare-behind-nlrb-assault-on-franchises-1247
category: "Franchise Industry"
industry: "Franchise Industry"
topics: ["Regulation & legal"]
published: 2015-03-05T18:13:00.000Z
modified: 2026-11-01T13:24:00.949Z
image: https://newimage.1851franchise.com/cdn-cgi/image/quality=85,format=webp,width=1280,height=720/story/featureImage/9bac438d72083221b5c2f2bde9275fbf7009.jpg
---

# Unions, Obamacare behind NLRB ‘assault’ on franchises

**TL;DR:** Recent NLRB rulings treating franchisors as joint employers may be attributed to unions and the Affordable Care Act. The National Labor Relations Board's complaints against McDonald's serve two purposes: to provide unions with leverage and to get around the Affordable Care Act's employer mandate.

*originally published in 1851 Franchise on 2015-03-05. [Read the original](https://1851franchise.com/unions-obamacare-behind-nlrb-assault-on-franchises-1247).*

## Story

A recent article from The Business Journals makes the case that recent rulings that would treat franchisors as joint employers with their franchisees can be attributed to unions and the Affordable Care Act.

Jim Blasingame wrote the National Labor Relations Board’s recent complaints against McDonald’s would serve two purposes: Provide unions with something to chew on in the face of President Obama’s opposition to the Keystone XL Pipeline and also get around the fact that most franchisees don’t usually have enough employees to be governed by the Affordable Care Act’s employer mandate.

Blasingame went on to say such regulations are an assault on the American Dream itself.

## Entities

- 1851 Franchise (publication)
- Franchise Industry (sector)
- McDonald's (company)
- National Labor Relations Board (regulator)
- joint employer (topic)
- nlrb ruling (topic)
- affordable care act (topic)
- union influence (topic)

---
Originally reported by 1851 Franchise (https://1851franchise.com/unions-obamacare-behind-nlrb-assault-on-franchises-1247). Summarized by Burnaze (https://burnaze.com/article/439650be-1611-46ba-93c4-0a3832ab21ce).