While the general public decides to reject fast food served up by McDonald’s and dozens of other fast food chains, McWorkers are showing disdain for McDonald’s in a different way. On Wednesday, thousands of protesters from cities around the country stormed McDonald’s Oak Brook headquarters, demanding that the hourly wage for McDonald’s employees be raised to $15 an hour.
Protesters gathered about a half a mile west of the headquarters and slowly marched toward McDonald’s campus, chanting “people united will never be defeated.” At the head of the line of protesters, a banner was held saying: “McDonald’s $15 and union rights, not food stamps. #fightfor15.”
Though McDonald’s did announce that it would increase starting wages to $1 above the minimum at 1,500 company-owned locations starting July 1, that only makes up about 1/10 of the number of restaurants around the country.
“Mary Kay Henry, president of the Service Employees International Union, called on McDonald’s to sit with a union at a national bargaining table and put some of its profits into the pockets of workers.
‘Even when we get $15 and a union we will keep fighting,’ Henry said.
In an interview, Henry said SEIU won’t necessarily represent fast food workers. She said workers will decide who will represent them when McDonald’s agrees to negotiate wages and benefits.
Photo credit: Reuters
‘It doesn’t matter to us who the members become. What matters to us is that these workers win a union,’ Henry said.
The Rev. William Barber II, pastor of the Greenleaf Christian Church in Goldsboro, N.C., said the campaign extends beyond pushing for a living wage. This is a racial fight too, he said, explaining that people of color are disproportionally working in low wage jobs. He said that’s why the NAACP is supporting the Fight for 15.”
Photo credit: Reuters
Interestingly and probably not coincidentally, Wednesday’s protest comes a day before the company’s annual shareholder meeting, and things are already looking relatively bleak for McDonald’s. The fast food giant is quickly diving out of its stable stock position and into a world of financial hurt as citizens of the United States and elsewhere have decided they are completely done with the company’s junk.
“On Monday, McDonald’s reported global same-store sales that declined 2.2% month on month. This missed analysts’ expectations for a 1.7% decline. In the US, the story was even worse for the fast-food giant as same-store sales fell 4.6%.”
McDonald’s has been losing money fast, and even under-performing the stock market for quite some time. Amid these falling sales and continued financial worries, McDonald’s will be closing a record 700 stores by the end of the year.
Today’s meeting is the first under CEO Steve Easterbrook, who took over the CEO position on March 1. Easterbrook’s goal is to turn McDonald’s into a “modern, progressive burger company.”
Photo credit: Berlin Rosen
“The movement’s push to increase wages has led to victories in various cities, including Chicago, which is raising its hourly minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 on July 1 and to $13 by mid-2019. On Tuesday, Los Angeles voted to increase its $9 per hour minimum wage up to $15 by 2020.
Last year, about 500 workers and community activists staged peaceful protests at McDonald’s annual meeting. On the first day, 138 people were arrested, including 101 workers, for trespassing.”
Founder of Natural Society, Mike has been exploring the world of fitness, nutrition, detoxification, and the "natural, holistic lifestyle" for 15 years. With an education in Nutrition Science from Stanford University and ongoing studies to be a Certified Holistic Nutritionist with American Fitness Professionals and Associates, Mike utilizes his platform to help guide individuals globally on their health journeys to achieve a new level of greater health and wellbeing.
42 Comments
Ridiculous. Unskilled laborers do not ‘deserve’ more money just because they want it. There are educated people with skills and talent who don’t make this much. These people are a bunch of whiners.
Be glad that they are working. You don’t know there circumstances for you to judge like that. And be glad that they are unskilled if not maybe you be working at McDonalds because someone has to do it so you can eat your make believe burger. And maybe with a better pay some of those unskilled whiners as you call them would have the opportunity to better themselves. Just because they are unskilled they are human beings and you should want the best for a human been no matter what. You may have more skills but no common sense or compassion, and that is worse than being unskilled. Just think someone smarter that you would say that you don’t deserve what ever you have you because they are smarter than you. And believe me there are a lot of people out there way more intelligent than you. Take that to the bank HATER
I think the point was that there are TONS of jobs out there paying less than $15 an hour, and many of them take a lot more skill or strength than counting change or taking orders or flipping burgers. In the Midwest, most of the manufacturing and construction jobs pay crap and the people are working quite hard and using more skills. People working in agriculture jobs are busting their butts every day and make just minimum wage.
Higher-paying jobs simply require more education, experience, and skill than working in fast-food jobs (besides managers, of course). This is the way it’s *always* been. I don’t understand why there’s such a hoopla over the subject now. I think if McDonald’s workers are being paid $15 an hour then it should be because *everyone* is making at least that much.
I did my stint at a fast-food joint when I was a teenager. I sure as heck didn’t expect to make as much money as my mother at the time (which is a fair comparison to today’s situation).
I could care less if most fast-food places fell out of existence. The food at most of them is atrocious for health and everyone would be better off cooking real nutritious foods at home or visiting the better restaurants. Believe it or not, they are out there. And the people currently working those fast-food jobs could go on to better restaurants, or to creating their own business, or going on to higher education, or to better jobs. Fast food jobs aren’t meant to be careers unless you’re a manager or owner.
Are you seriously following me around now for no reason other than to bother me, little kitty? Why don’t you answer the questions I’ve asked of you in the GreenMedInfo article before you go engaging me in conversation in additional articles. It doesn’t seem like you can manage that much so I’m not sure why you bothered. I can only figure that you *really* don’t have a life.
You aware that you have been stalking me for almost 16 weeks now right? Try getting a job maybe. Someone somewhere must need an ugly stripper…LOL!
Are you out of your frigging mind, as well as being a childish little witch? I have NOT followed you into ANY other article. I’ve never even felt inclined to click on your name for any reason–that’s how *little* interest I have in you. You, on the other hand, have now followed me into 9 or more different articles, all because you can’t defend your position on coconut oil in the GreenMedInfo article. You’ve been leaving stupid and childish comments, which forces me to reply to your drivel. You are truly pathetic.
There it is AGAIN! Stalker troll!
ROFLMAO.
ROFLMAO.
Is that the best you can come up with? Do you have anything intelligent to say on the topic of the topic of the article?
You still stalking me? No life, eh?
How is it that a human thinks that following someone around makes the followed person the stalker? Hm….well, maybe you’re not human. You certainly don’t have anything intelligent to say about the topic of this article; that’s plain to see…
It’s BBBBBAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKK!!!!
Do you have anything to say about the topic of this article? If not, then there is no reason you should have come here to make comments–now is there?
And again….
Do you have anything to say about the topic of this article? Remember, psycho….YOU followed ME into this article.
And STILL yapping….wow.
Do you have anything to say about the topic of this article? If not, why are you here?
….stiiiillllll YAPPING!
And AGAIN!
You’re a psycho. You should seek professional help.
AAAAAAnnnnnndddddd yet AGAIN!
Oh goodie, my stalker isn’t dead. Hm…seems like a shame to me….
Annnnnnnnnnddddd again!
Oh, back from the grave, I see. Too bad….
Oh look, still stalking…lovely…
Isn’t it? 🙂
And AGAIN.
And STILL here……..AGAIN.
Just STFU, psycho, and go away. Don’t you think NS is getting sick of seeing your demented comments over and over again? Remember….YOU followed ME into this article without any intention of discussing the topic at hand, so by definition YOU are the stalker.
And yet AGAIN….stalker. stalker. stalker…..tsk tsk
When inflation is gutting everybody … on the basic needs to survive such as cabbage, carrots, toilet paper, canned milk, laundry detergent, hand soap, …… electricity, WATER, bottled and natural gas, fuel for transportation.. PROPERTY TAXES.. even if you “own” the house… RENT if you plan on having a roof over your head… licenses, registrations, …
O.K. … you list something that has not gone up up up in price in the last 5 years.. 10 years????
(Of course the LYING bureaucrats and politicians keep telling us all that “inflation is less than 2 percent… uh huh… right. Apparently they don’t EAT…)
I agree that “fast food” is toxic and needs to go bye bye… altogether.
But that is not the point…. not really. The point is that these people ARE “un-skilled” and are doing what they CAN do to work to feed their kids and themselves… and they cannot do that on the wage that MacDonalds has traditionally paid.
Leave it alone. It will resolve itself. MacDonalds will fold and the people won’t have to campaign for higher wages so they can “just barely keep their heads above water”… they will be on the dole ….. end of story.
And in the meantime I suggest that YOU try to be a bit more thoughtful and compassionate. Karma is a “beech”…
Ridiculous. Unskilled laborers do not ‘deserve’ more money just because they want it. There are educated people with skills and talent who don’t make this much. These people are a bunch of whiners.
Be glad that they are working. You don’t know there circumstances for you to judge like that. And be glad that they are unskilled if not maybe you be working at McDonalds because someone has to do it so you can eat your make believe burger. And maybe with a better pay some of those unskilled whiners as you call them would have the opportunity to better themselves. Just because they are unskilled they are human beings and you should want the best for a human been no matter what. You may have more skills but no common sense or compassion, and that is worse than being unskilled. Just think someone smarter that you would say that you don’t deserve what ever you have you because they are smarter than you. And believe me there are a lot of people out there way more intelligent than you. Take that to the bank HATER
I think the point was that there are TONS of jobs out there paying less than $15 an hour, and many of them take a lot more skill or strength than counting change or taking orders or flipping burgers. In the Midwest, most of the manufacturing and construction jobs pay crap and the people are working quite hard and using more skills. People working in agriculture jobs are busting their butts every day and make just minimum wage.
Higher-paying jobs simply require more education, experience, and skill than working in fast-food jobs (besides managers, of course). This is the way it’s *always* been. I don’t understand why there’s such a hoopla over the subject now. I think if McDonald’s workers are being paid $15 an hour then it should be because *everyone* is making at least that much.
I did my stint at a fast-food joint when I was a teenager. I sure as heck didn’t expect to make as much money as my mother at the time (which is a fair comparison to today’s situation).
I could care less if most fast-food places fell out of existence. The food at most of them is atrocious for health and everyone would be better off cooking real nutritious foods at home or visiting the better restaurants. Believe it or not, they are out there. And the people currently working those fast-food jobs could go on to better restaurants, or to creating their own business, or going on to higher education, or to better jobs. Fast food jobs aren’t meant to be careers unless you’re a manager or owner.
You people with no education sure hate your jobs.
Are you seriously following me around now for no reason other than to bother me, little kitty? Why don’t you answer the questions I’ve asked of you in the GreenMedInfo article before you go engaging me in conversation in additional articles. It doesn’t seem like you can manage that much so I’m not sure why you bothered. I can only figure that you *really* don’t have a life.
You aware that you have been stalking me for almost 16 weeks now right? Try getting a job maybe. Someone somewhere must need an ugly stripper…LOL!
Are you out of your frigging mind, as well as being a childish little witch? I have NOT followed you into ANY other article. I’ve never even felt inclined to click on your name for any reason–that’s how *little* interest I have in you. You, on the other hand, have now followed me into 9 or more different articles, all because you can’t defend your position on coconut oil in the GreenMedInfo article. You’ve been leaving stupid and childish comments, which forces me to reply to your drivel. You are truly pathetic.
There it is AGAIN! Stalker troll!
ROFLMAO.
ROFLMAO.
Is that the best you can come up with? Do you have anything intelligent to say on the topic of the topic of the article?
You still stalking me? No life, eh?
How is it that a human thinks that following someone around makes the followed person the stalker? Hm….well, maybe you’re not human. You certainly don’t have anything intelligent to say about the topic of this article; that’s plain to see…
It’s BBBBBAAAAAAAACCCCKKKKKK!!!!
Do you have anything to say about the topic of this article? If not, then there is no reason you should have come here to make comments–now is there?
And again….
Do you have anything to say about the topic of this article? Remember, psycho….YOU followed ME into this article.
And STILL yapping….wow.
Do you have anything to say about the topic of this article? If not, why are you here?
….stiiiillllll YAPPING!
And AGAIN!
You’re a psycho. You should seek professional help.
AAAAAAnnnnnndddddd yet AGAIN!
Oh goodie, my stalker isn’t dead. Hm…seems like a shame to me….
Annnnnnnnnnddddd again!
Oh, back from the grave, I see. Too bad….
Oh look, still stalking…lovely…
Isn’t it? 🙂
And AGAIN.
And STILL here……..AGAIN.
Just STFU, psycho, and go away. Don’t you think NS is getting sick of seeing your demented comments over and over again? Remember….YOU followed ME into this article without any intention of discussing the topic at hand, so by definition YOU are the stalker.
And yet AGAIN….stalker. stalker. stalker…..tsk tsk
And yet, here you are AGAIN.
Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah…….yap yap yap…..wow.
You are mentally ill. Seek professional help.
And yet AGAIN!!!!
When inflation is gutting everybody … on the basic needs to survive such as cabbage, carrots, toilet paper, canned milk, laundry detergent, hand soap, …… electricity, WATER, bottled and natural gas, fuel for transportation.. PROPERTY TAXES.. even if you “own” the house… RENT if you plan on having a roof over your head… licenses, registrations, …
O.K. … you list something that has not gone up up up in price in the last 5 years.. 10 years????
(Of course the LYING bureaucrats and politicians keep telling us all that “inflation is less than 2 percent… uh huh… right. Apparently they don’t EAT…)
I agree that “fast food” is toxic and needs to go bye bye… altogether.
But that is not the point…. not really. The point is that these people ARE “un-skilled” and are doing what they CAN do to work to feed their kids and themselves… and they cannot do that on the wage that MacDonalds has traditionally paid.
Leave it alone. It will resolve itself. MacDonalds will fold and the people won’t have to campaign for higher wages so they can “just barely keep their heads above water”… they will be on the dole ….. end of story.
And in the meantime I suggest that YOU try to be a bit more thoughtful and compassionate. Karma is a “beech”…