l-tree wrote:Hebrew,
Can you sned me the links to the sites on creating a Union. I'm not interested in making money on this, I have a job. But fucking with the man.... oh ya.
The organization I like best is the American Association of Franchisees and Dealers,
http://www.aafd.org. (Disclaimer: I am one of its affiliate counsel and represent a number of associations that are members.) The legal and business aspects of setting up an association are complex, but if you know what you're doing, it's very manageable. The key is to get numbers. They could start with a core group -- the bigger the better and it should be led by people who are respected, not the bomb-throwers -- and then recruit others to join.
Economically, it's a no-brainer. They'd negotiate for territorial protection, lower fees, the right to sponsor official certifications, a share of HQ fees dedicated to marketing for affiliates, quality controls to keep out unqualified affiliates (which hurts the entire system's reputation and makes them uninsurable as a group), protection against bad faith and arbitrary termination or other sanctions, and they'd investigate the RRG and demand the right to run it themselves.
The key is to be business-smart, which is figuring out how to protect yourselves and prosper while allowing the system to prosper as well. Progressive franchisors figure this out for themselves, and by doing the right thing economically and treating people with dignity and respect, remove the incentive to form an independent association. Short-sighted franchisors need to be clubbed into this realization. As is often the case, an independent association could save the system from imploding.