Day 138 - 20 Jun 95 - Page 80
1 (To the witness): Were there certain of these incidents,
2 I will call them, where there was a union recognition
3 dispute or a dispute with a union in some way or other, did
4 some of them attract considerable media attention?
5 A. Some of them did, my Lord. Yes, they did. The Detroit
6 situation that I mentioned, that really would be, to my
7 recollection, in the US the first time I had ever seen
8 anything like that. Suddenly, the union was in the media
9 making claims and getting the media attention.
10
11 Q. That is one aspect. The other aspect I am asking for your
12 candid response to is which ones was there sufficient
13 attention outside the immediate local concerns for
14 McDonald's to feel this might have ramifications outside
15 immediate local concerns, do you understand?
16 A. If I could ask one thing of clarification?
17
18 Q. Yes.
19 A. The Detroit situation would be of interest in the
20 immediate Detroit area, but not beyond, I accept maybe an
21 isolated article somewhere. All of these incidents that we
22 are talking about primarily would be localised within that
23 community, within that city, maybe even a portion of the
24 city. For example, the PUP matters that we talked about,
25 that would be of importance within the Philadelphia area,
26 but it would not be of importance to Chicago or Boston or
27 what-have-you. It would be, I would call it, localised to
28 that particular area.
29
30 Q. Are there any of the others which you would accept might
31 have had ramifications more generally so far as McDonald's,
32 McOpCo, or owner/operated stores are concerned? In other
33 words ---
34 A. My Lord -----
35
36 Q. -- if there was unionisation there that might prompt
37 someone else to think about it?
38 A. My Lord, as to Company stores, there has not been a
39 union organising attempt of any note, any significance,
40 since 1974. So, there has not been (and I am searching my
41 recollection now totally) a petition for an election in any
42 of the Company stores while I have been employed.
43
44 The matters that I have talked about here were in
45 owner/operator stores and were localised within that area.
46 Also, the last petition, if you will, for an election in
47 any McDonald's store, whether it be, well, it is the
48 operators obviously, would be six, seven years ago. This
49 is not -- I know that -----
50
51 Q. That is in owner/operator stores as well?
52 A. That is correct.
53
54 Q. Worldwide?
55 A. No, I am talking -- I was limiting it to the United
56 States. If you recall, my Lord, virtually every situation
57 that we talked about -- I call it ancient history --
58 occurred a long time ago, and this is not -- Labour
59 Relations in McDonald's in the United States is not -- the
60 two are not connected by the media or by anyone. It is not
