Day 138 - 20 Jun 95 - Page 55
1 are above the minimum.
2
3 Q. "Several employee committees were" -----
4
5 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Can I just ask, does "basic wage" have a
6 special meaning? It is an American's statement there.
7 What does "basic wage" mean in the States?
8 A. To me, that means average of that industry. A basic
9 means ordinary, the one that often times would appear or be
10 paid. That is how I interpret it. It is the prevailing
11 wage. That would be another word that I would use. The
12 one that is most often out there. That is how I interpret
13 it.
14
15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. In this country it can mean the wage
16 people start at before they get any bonuses, enhancements,
17 overtime, any additions of any kind?
18 A. OK. That is not -- when I talk about, or we talk
19 about, prevailing is the principal wages that is paid; it
20 is not just the starting wage rate.
21
22 MR. RAMPTON: In case it matters -- it may not do -- Mr. Stein,
23 at this time or, indeed, at any other time was the
24 McDonald's starting wage before any increases always paid
25 to the federal or the local minimum?
26 A. No, not necessarily.
27
28 Q. Because you told us it varied throughout the country?
29 A. Yes, it would be based upon the competitive surveys
30 that are done of other folks in the industry.
31
32 Q. Do you know, as a matter of fact, what the position was in
33 Detroit in 1980, so far as that is concerned?
34 A. Boy! I just know we were paying competitively. Wages
35 really did not become an issue in the campaign.
36
37 Q. He says further in the third paragraph: "Several employee
38 committees were formed at McDonald's franchises around the
39 city. One particular franchisee, Ralph Kelly, owned three
40 McDonald's restaurants" --- so far so good, I take it --
41 A. Yes.
42
43 Q. -- "in which the employees wanted to form a union. Within
44 a short period of time, perhaps eight weeks, some 65 per
45 cent of the workers had signed union authorisation cards".
46 Do you know whether that is true or not?
47 A. No, I do not, sir. We are never told by the NLRB what
48 percentage. The only thing we know is that the NLRB
49 processes the matter, we assume there is 30 per cent. The
50 other little tricky thing here, if you will, is that the
51 original petition, I believe, was for one store, ultimately
52 at the hearing turned out to be three stores. They did,
53 obviously, have enough, 30 per cent in all three, because
54 the NLRB proceeded with an election.
55
56 Q. He says 65?
57 A. It could be, I do not know.
58
59 Q. He says that they were excited about this show of support
60 and soon filed for an election with the NLRB. "I should
