McDonald's violates worker rights: NLRB

Bloomberg reports:

McDonald's Corp. wields enough control over its franchisees that it should be jointly responsible for working conditions, according to charges by the U.S. labor board that critics say threaten to upend the fast-food industry.

The National Labor Relations Board's general counsel, who acts as a prosecutor in filing complaints for violations, said he would proceed with 13 cases involving 78 charges against McDonald's, the world's largest restaurant chain, and some of its affiliated local owners.

The charges include disciplining employees, reducing their hours and “other coercive conduct” in response to union organizing in support of a higher minimum hourly wage.

Lisa McComb, a spokeswoman for Oak Brook-based McDonald's, said in a statement that the board's actions “dramatically strike at the heart of the franchise system.”

Will McDonald's become a "smart restaurant" over this?