Last week, Jay Inslee, the Washington state governor, signed House Bill 1450 which voids most non-compete agreements in Washington state. The law also prohibits francihisors from enforcing non-solicitation clauses. Here is a quick summary of what the law does and does not do, how it may be challenged in the courts, and how it will affect franchisees operating in Washington state or with Washington state based employees.

For the past quarter century our members have begged for help controlling health insurance costs. Indeed, the NUMBER ONE MEMBER REQUEST after protecting franchisee rights has been to find an affordable health insurance solution. Promise Delivered!

The AAFD is still looking for nominations for our Total Quality Franchising Awards (TQFA), and we want to hear from you! Do know any franchisees who are fighting the good fight to achieve Total Quality Franchising? Has your franchisee association made amazing strides this year? Have you received the deal of a lifetime from a franchisee supplier? Tell us about it, so we can celebrate their achievements!

Two big cases on issues relating to Fair Franchising were given new life when the Ninth Circuit Court vacated the decisions against franchisees and sent them back to district court. These decisions could eventually affect your franchise! Read to learn more.

A Sneak Peak at an Upcoming Program at the 2019 AAFD Franchisee Leadership Summit in September Within the last decade, private equity firms have purchased many established franchisors, and have ... Read More →

We are officially accepting nominations for the AAFD’s 2019 Total Quality Franchising Awards. If you know a franchise association, franchisor, chapter member, or supporting member who has contributed to the cause of fair and collaborative franchising, nominate them! Check out the full list of the award categories and nomination instructions.

Recruiting is always a top priority for franchisee associations, but what happens if you receive interest from franchisees who are connected to your franchisor, such as family members or franchisees who are also employed by the franchisor? This issue of whether to allow franchisees who are especially loyal to a franchisor to join an association was a recent subject of a ‘heated’ dialogue on the American Bar Association Forum on Franchise Law. Some franchisee advocates argued that franchisor friendly franchisees should be barred from association membership as they are innately adverse to an association’s goals and objectives.

We thought you would appreciate knowing that AAFD Chairman, Robert Purvin, has submitted a public comment to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regarding the AAFD’s position and recommendations for the NLRB’s criteria and standards for determining when a franchisor’s control over its franchisees would result in a finding that the franchisor is the ‘joint employer’ of the franchisee’s employees.

Franchises hired at a brisk pace in January. Did the government shutdown help boost these hiring numbers?

After years of searching for a quality health insurance benefit for AAFD members, we are excited to announce AAFD Lifestyle Health Plans from Medova Healthcare. The AAFD’s newly endorsed health insurance plans offer full-featured, affordable health insurance options with special savings exclusively for AAFD members and affiliated chapters!