The heat has been turned up on Disney and the state of Florida is attacking their tax status. Is this debacle emblematic of what awaits other corporate brands? Is this a good time for corporate leaders to re-examine their relationship to partisan politics? We’ll discuss.

And New York’s comptroller is once again leveraging the state pension fund to pressure corporate shareholders to back resolutions calling on the companies to adopt climate resolutions to meet net-zero goals by 2050. Is activism by CFO’s the wave of the future? We’ll take a look.

And of course, the latest and greatest on Starbucks which this week saw its 27th unit vote for unionization.

The general counsel of the NLRB, Jennifer Abruzzo, made some startling recommendations to the Board this week, one of which would essentially revitalize card check, long a top labor union priority. We’ll discuss what she is doing and the impacts it could have on restaurant operators.

And the SEC has turned down McDonald’s request to omit a shareholder resolution from its annual proxy calling for a civil rights audit of the company. We’ll discuss the dynamics behind the resolution as well as discuss the growing influence activist shareholders are having on corporate decision making.

And of course, the latest and greatest on Starbucks as they overwhelmingly lost another big pile of elections this week.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

As of July 1, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will have a new Democratic majority with the appointment of a new commissioner. We discuss the new agenda laid out this week by the Chair of the commission and discuss what it means for employers.

And Massachusetts, a current hotbed of labor organizing, has an avowed restaurant industry antagonist running for Attorney General. We’ll take a look at her record, the strength of her candidacy, and how restaurant owners should prepare.

And Starbucks had a venti bad week with their union woes losing another round of organizing elections. With the dismissal of their CEO and this week their General Counsel, it looks like the company is poised to make a major pivot in strategy. We’ll take a look.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

7-11 franchisees in Massachusetts have renewed hope in their ongoing litigation against the company contending that they are little more than glorified store managers and should be paid the minimum wage and receive other protections afforded to employees under Massachusetts law. We are joined by Jeff Hanscom, the International Franchise Association's Vice President of State & Local Government Relations to help us understand the state supreme court's ruling and what impact it may have on the franchise business model.

And the unions organizing Amazon and Starbucks had a big week with major high profile wins in New York, Arizona and Tennessee. We discuss the momentum in the labor community and what that means for employers.

And the Disney saga continues this week as the rancor between the company and the Florida governor continued to escalate. We discuss that as well.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Boston is turning into the new epicenter of Starbucks organizing as more than a dozen stores in the market are in play right now. We talk to reporter Tori Bedford from GBH Boston, the NPR affiliate, to get a sense of what's happening on the ground in the market and how important the next few weeks are for the company.

And Consumer Reports rocked the industry this week releasing a study documenting the extent of PFAS in industry packaging and grading 24 companies on the potential toxicity of their packaging. We’ll discuss what impact that will have on the packaging conversation.

And once again, tipping has been linked to racism - this time from the author of the 1619 Project at the New York Times. We’ll discuss the impact that this growing narrative could have on the industry business model.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Peter Romeo from Restaurant Business joins us this week to discuss a variety of topics including Kevin Johnson who is abruptly out as CEO of Starbucks despite the strong performance of the company as they navigated the pandemic. Was it the combination of the burgeoning unionization campaign, the perceived missteps of the company in addressing it, formal reprimands from the NLRB and the subsequent unrest of key shareholders that made the move necessary? We’ll discuss.

And we’ll take a look at the opioid issue within the industry and a new pilot program rolled out by the state of Delaware targeting restaurant workers.

And then we are joined by Brennan Duckett, the Director of Technology & Innovation Policy at the National Restaurant Association to discuss data privacy and the growing political and legislative challenge that the industry is facing in that very important space.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

McDonald’s and other restaurant industry players take a stand on Russia and are ceasing their operations in there in response to the invasion of Ukraine. We’ll take a look at the calculations companies make when they decide to enter - either willfully or begrudgingly - into the high stakes game of public policy.

We’ll also take a look at what the move toward a cashless economy is having on tipping not only from the perspective of the worker but also with regard to the ongoing debate around eliminating the tipping system altogether.

And of course we’ll have another installment of Starbucks Watch where this week, the unions get to take a few more victory laps in Buffalo.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

As the monthly jobs report comes out today signaling that there is a rebound in hiring, it appears to be the Labor Department itself that is hiring as well - as many as 100 new auditors in the Wage & Hour Division it was announced this week. What will those new employees be doing? Cracking down on violators but with a specific interest in the hospitality sector. We’ll discuss what employers need to know.

And Uber is proactively working with the provincial government in Ontario to basically create a new classification of worker - not independent contractor and not traditional employee - but a hybrid with a portable benefits regime. We’ll dive into that and discuss those implications.

And of course we’ll have another installment of Starbucks Watch. But this week Amazon, REI and a host of independent coffee shops will be on the menu as well. We will update you on the latest with regard to industry unionization efforts.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

Activist investor Carl Ichan is making a bold move at McDonald’s trying to force changes on their Board of Directors over the direction the company is going with regard to animal welfare. If successful, the ramifications could be significant for both supply chains and industry corporate governance. We’ll take a look.

And Maryland has become the epicenter of the conversation around Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR). This week, much of the business community lent its support to a framework significantly overhauling the recycling marketplace. We’ll discuss how that legislation will likely become the national blueprint for other states and cities.

And the Starbucks beat goes on. This week, the company was dealt a few tough but very important decisions that will likely shape the nature of the campaign going forward. We’ll discuss those implications as well as other interesting developments this week.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.

The National Restaurant Association has a new leader and we’ll discuss her background, her impressive resume, and the big job she has ahead of her.

And the number of Starbucks units being organized topped 100 this week and the company has begun punching back a little bit. We’ll discuss their messaging, their timing, and the lessens other companies can learn from their actions going forward.

And MIT, yes that MIT, has released a new study equating increases in minimum wages to increases in voting participation. We’ll take a look at that study and see what it might mean for the wage conversation going forward.

We’ll discuss those issues and wrap it up with the legislative scorecard.