McDonald's Workers Strike to Protest Pay and Harassment Complaints--Update
May 23 2019 - 5:54PM
Dow Jones News
By Heather Haddon
Hundreds of workers at McDonald's Corp. restaurants walked off
the job on Thursday to protest what they described as low pay,
unsafe workplaces and sexual harassment.
The walkouts prompted operators to close 10 restaurants in St.
Louis, and workers picketed outside McDonald's in Des Moines and
Cedar Rapids, Iowa. The day's events are among the most visible
disruptions to the chain's operations in the years since unions
have sought to organize workers.
Several hundred workers from restaurants in 13 cities left their
posts during the breakfast and lunch rushes, said unions and
advocacy groups coordinating their efforts to seek higher pay,
labor representation and safer working conditions.
"We know McDonald's can pay us more," read a strike notice that
workers delivered to managers at one Detroit restaurant, according
to a photo viewed by The Wall Street Journal.
A McDonald's spokeswoman said the company recognizes the rights
of its employees to join labor organizations or opt to work outside
of them. Labor organizers have tried for years to make inroads with
employees of the nation's biggest restaurant chain by sales.
Heightened tension with its workers comes as McDonald's tries to
boost customer traffic in the U.S. and improve relations with
franchisees. Visits to fast-food companies across the U.S. have
stalled, and traffic growth at McDonald's has slowed even as
same-store sales have improved thanks in part to higher prices.
McDonald's Chief Executive Steve Easterbrook said the company
has improved its antiharassment policy, instituted new training and
launched a complaint hotline. About 90% of McDonald's operators and
general managers have taken the training so far, Mr. Easterbrook
wrote in a letter to Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who
had inquired about the restaurant chain's workplace policies.
"McDonald's is committed to ensuring a harassment and bias-free
workplace," Mr. Easterbrook said.
In a separate letter, McDonald's said the average starting wage
at company-owned stores was above $10 an hour, more than the
federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. The company doesn't set wages for
franchisees that run more than 90% of McDonald's 14,000 restaurants
in the U.S., executives said.
Franchisees recently formed an association to more effectively
respond to McDonald's requests for store upgrades at a time of
lower profits, among other issues.
McDonald's has faced calls to boost its minimum wage to a $15 an
hour. The company also faces a case before the National Labor
Relations Board over labor infractions that workers accuse
franchisees of committing against employees fighting for higher
wages.
Those efforts have gained momentum from the #MeToo movement, the
anti-sexual harassment effort that began in Hollywood and now aims
to highlight issues faced by less visible workers. The restaurant
industry, one of the largest U.S. employers and a provider of first
jobs for many teenagers, has come under particular scrutiny.
Rita Blalock, who has worked at a McDonald's in Raleigh, N.C.,
for nine years, said she earns $8.50 an hour and had gone on strike
to demonstrate her desire for union representation.
"The best way for us to make our jobs better is by joining
together," said Ms. Blalock, who attended a rally in Dallas led by
Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, a Democratic presidential
candidate.
Former U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Julián
Castro, another Democratic presidential candidate, attended a rally
of McDonald's employees in Durham, N.C., on Thursday. Presidential
candidates including New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio marched at
other gatherings.
Write to Heather Haddon at heather.haddon@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
May 23, 2019 17:39 ET (21:39 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2019 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
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