I’d open a third Company A, fourth Company B and fifth Company C as necessary. Hire 29 hour (or full time) contract workers at Companies A, B and C who bill by the hour to your 49 employee Company X and your neighbor’s Company Y.
Each company (A,B,C,X,Y) stays under 50 employees. You can work folks either full shifts or 29 hour shifts as necessary.
Just make them separate, shell companies with contract workers. You can make it look legitimate enough. There are lots (and there will be even more) contracting companies. You can even start these for others.
I have a friend who did that with his restaurants. Four locations, less than 50 employees each. All separate corporations, all “owned” by different family members.
The Feds have already told him that because the owners are all family, it is really one business and that for the sake of labor laws, taxes, etc., it will be considered one company.
He is fighting it, but his lawyer has told him that lately the government makes up the rules as it goes along and that Democrat appointed judges are rubber stamping the government’s actions.
Heck, if the government doesn’t like you hiring out your workers at your Company A to your Company X, then get your buddy to open Company M and hire out to your Company X.
Then, you open Company N, and hire out to his Company Q.
Scratch each others’ back with staffing agencies.
You have arms length transactions all around. No co-ownership.