The California Business and Industrial Alliance placed a full-page ad in the Sacramento Bee ahead of the California Senate Judiciary Committee’s hearing on the Fast Food Franchisor Responsibility Act — or A.B. 1228.

The ad refers to the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) as California’s fourth branch of government as they continue to pull the strings, affecting businesses in the state. The SEIU has been the driving force behind various pushes to expand union power over California’s businesses, including the halted FAST Recovery Act of 2022.

A.B. 1228’s unfair targeting of franchise owners is based on the SEIU’s campaign against these businesses – falsely alleging they are responsible for a disproportionately high number of wage violations in California. The bill would make small business franchise owners jointly liable for any alleged labor law violations with larger corporate brands that have little to do with employment decisions.

This comes as the California State Budget also threatens to resurrect the Industrial Welfare Commission (IWC), which gives the power to sidestep public opinion against unpopular, anti-business policies – something the SEIU has applauded.