This has huge implications for the franchise arrangements.
Does a franchise holder really own his own business, or simply manage an outlet of McDonald’s or whatever other company they are affiliated with?
Or do the franchisee and McDonald’s corporate own each outlet 50/50?
This ruling brings up all sorts of questions. Aside from the specific narrow issue of who these employees are actually employed by.
Those issues existed before this ruling.
If an owner runs afoul of the franchising group, they can take that franchise away from him (the Clippers anyone?). To me, that means the franchising group “owns” the business.
I have seen shops defranchise, but that is rather hard to do.