While McDonald’s new CEO Chris Kempczinski states in a corporate video that “the company wants to be a leader when it comes to values,” two recent developments surrounding McDonald’s in the United States seriously undermine his claim:
- In a CBS News report, several McDonald’s women workers tell their stories about systemic harassment in the fast food industry; these experiences reinforce the over 100 lawsuits and charges of discrimination in the United States as well as the OECD complaint filed by the IUF, EFFAT, SEIU and UGT on the company’s failure to deal with sexual harassment
- Vice reports that McDonald’s has systematically spied and collected “strategic” information on workers advocating for a $15 minimum wage and a union with former McDonald’s corporate managers revealing that the intent was to undercut the Fight for $15 movement’s strategy and momentum
As McDonald’s worker and “Fight for $15 and a Union” leader Gloria Machuca said, “It’s a shame that instead of listening to workers’ demands about what we need to stay safe on the job and support our families, McDonald’s is spending its time and resources trying to undermine our voices.”
