Day 302 - 18 Nov 96 - Page 21


     
     1        said that when he started at McDonald's in 1963, he started
     2        on one dollar an hour, it was the minimum wage, he said.
     3        That was day 4, page 35, line 26.  So here we can see a
     4        pattern of minimum wage employment going back to the early
     5        1960s.
     6
     7        And then on page 47, line 52, he said he had read Behind
     8        the Arches.  "I think it treats us rather favourably", he
     9        said.  So that should be borne in mind, that this is not a
    10        critical or hostile book but actually one backed by the
    11        corporation which is favourable to them.  Therefore, things
    12        in it that are to our advantage have added weight, we would
    13        say, because of that.
    14
    15        Then he did say on page 54, line 43, that performance
    16        reviews take place shorter than at six month intervals.  If
    17        the performance of the employee was outstanding, the
    18        increase could be 25 cents an hour, or it could be 20
    19        cents.  If the level of the performance was just
    20        satisfactory, the amount would be something less than
    21        that.  The point I bring that up is it looks like there is
    22        no basic difference between the US and the UK as regards
    23        performance reviews, so we can transfer what we have heard
    24        in this country largely to the States.
    25
    26        On page 71, line 36....  I want to check this, actually.
    27        This is an important point.  I put to him:  "Is it true
    28        that one of the reasons there is no trade union at
    29        McDonald's is because McDonald's took steps to try to
    30        prevent trade union organisation, say, around that time
    31        when it was actually a problem".  Answer:  "That is true".
    32
    33        Now, the important thing - I actually mentioned this
    34        earlier on - but the important thing is that he is agreeing
    35        that it is true that one of the reasons there is currently
    36        no trade union at McDonald's is because they took steps at
    37        the time when it was a problem, and therefore they did set
    38        up a pattern which is affecting employees and the
    39        corporation today by preventing unionisation when it was a
    40        problem, and, basically, once you have established that you
    41        are an anti-union employer, as McDonald's have done, and
    42        everybody knows it, the job of course is made much more
    43        easy for the company because you have got an impossible
    44        hurdle to overcome if you are an employee.  Not only do you
    45        not have union support and backing, but also you know that
    46        you are facing a hostile company.  And McDonald's know
    47        that.
    48
    49        And, in fact, while I am on that subject, that is one of
    50        the reasons we believe they put rumours around about stores
    51        being closed down, I mean, who tried to unionise.  The
    52        message is it is futile to even think about it.  That is
    53        the message.  Even if you do not deem that rumour to be a
    54        deliberate rumour, although it was said, I think it had
    55        been heard on management courses, I think somebody said,
    56        the point is the rumour was not countered and it would have
    57        the effect, as McDonald's would know, on the employees of
    58        demoralising them if they were going to be interested in
    59        the unionisation.  So the effect of it is the same whether
    60        or not the rumour is true or whether or not McDonald's

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