McDonald's Spent Over $1 Million To Try And Overthrow 'Unfair And Costly' Labor Lawsuit

The reins are tightening on labor relation issues for major fast food companies this year, between $15 minimum wage laws popping up all over the country, and a new National Labor Relations Board ruling that claims McDonald's is responsible for the actions of its franchises.Since the labor ruling was announced in July, McDonald's has spent more than $1 million to produce over 160,000 pages of documents to try and get the subpoena thrown out of court in a U.S. court filing this week.

The corporation claims that the new labor regulation is "unfair and too costly," even though according to CNBC, the fast food giant would owe no more than $50,000 if it is found responsible for the alleged labor violations at 29 franchises in five states. However, the financial impact could be much more than a mere $50,000: The new regulation could force McDonald's corporation to get involved with day-to-day labor regulations and negotiate with unions.

"The General Counsel's subpoena to McDonald's is, we believe, one of the most burdensome in the history of the agency," the company's lawyers wrote in the Manhattan court filing.

The National Labor Relations Board has not yet officially responded to the filing, but has maintained that the original subpoena is reasonable because McDonald's already maintains some control over the operation of its franchises and working conditions of its employees, according to Business Insider.