Fast-food chains agree to end ‘no-poaching’ policies
Seven national fast-food chains have agreed to end policies that blocked workers from changing branches — limiting wages and job opportunities — under the threat of legal action from the state of Washington. Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson announced binding agreements with companies including Arby’s, Jimmy John’s and Cinnabon on Thursday. McDonald’s also signed on but had previously announced plans to end the practice. The so-called no-poach policies prevent franchises from hiring workers away from other franchises of the same chain. That’s been considered convenient for franchise owners but has blocked experienced workers at one franchise from getting better-paying jobs at others.
Trump DOJ appealing judge’s OK of AT&T-Time Warner merger
Stung by a federal judge’s dismissal of its objections to AT&T’s megamerger with Time Warner, the Trump Justice Department is challenging the decision with a legal appeal. The Justice Department said Thursday it is appealing the ruling last month by U.S. District Judge Richard Leon, which blessed one of the biggest media deals ever following a landmark antitrust trial. Judge Leon rejected the government’s argument that the phone and pay-TV giant’s $81 billion takeover of the entertainment conglomerate would hurt competition, limit choices and jack up prices for consumers to stream TV and movies.
Tesla announces deal for Shanghai factory
Electric car producer Tesla will build its first factory outside the United States in Shanghai, becoming the first wholly foreign-owned automaker in China. Tesla Inc.’s announcement comes amid mounting U.S.-Chinese tension over technology and follows Beijing’s April promise to end restrictions that required foreign automakers to work through local partners. Tesla said construction would begin in the near future, once official permits are obtained. It said production would begin two to three years after that and eventually increase to 500,000 vehicles annually.
Facebook faces UK fine over its data privacy scandal
Facebook is facing its first financial penalty for allowing the political consultancy Cambridge Analytica to forage through the personal data of millions of unknowing Facebook users. The social media giant faces a 500,000-pound ($663,000) fine for failing to protect the personal information of its subscribers following an investigation into the Cambridge Analytica data harvesting scandal by the U.K. Information Commissioner’s Office. The proposed fine is the maximum possible. While the penalty is small for Facebook, it is a warning shot for companies that now face fines of up to 2 percent of global revenue under European Union data protection regulations rolled out in May.