Day 138 - 20 Jun 95 - Page 56
1 say that we were young and, in retrospect, quite a naive
2 group of organisers". Do you know whether Mr. Canter is
3 still with this organisation, the Detroit Fast-food Workers
4 Union or ACORN or not?
5 A. All I know is that he left Detroit -----
6
7 MR. JUSTICE BELL: He gives a New Jersey address.
8
9 MR. RAMPTON: He does, my Lord.
10
11 THE WITNESS: But prior to New Jersey-- you see, I did not know
12 he was in New Jersey.
13
14 Q. It would not have been the Detroit Fast-Food Workers -----
15 A. He went to New Orleans which is the Headquarters of
16 ACORN, or was the Headquarters -- I do not know if it still
17 is -- and he wound up, I know, working for the Service
18 Employees. ACORN in the Service Employees International
19 had a relationship. I do not know what the relationship
20 was.
21
22 Q. You said ACORN came from New Orleans?
23 A. New Orleans, yes.
24
25 Q. So it is not a local organisation?
26 A. No. They had chapters that they would have in various
27 places throughout the US, but their Headquarters was in New
28 Orleans.
29
30 Q. He says: "I should say that we were a young and, in
31 retrospect, quite a naive group of organisers who were not
32 prepared for the enormous hostility that the Company", by
33 which we must take it he means either Ralph Kelly's company
34 or McDonald's, "was about to demonstrate". Was there any
35 hostility shown either by Ralph Kelly or by the Corporation
36 in this matter?
37 A. No, no, the normal proceedings would have taken place.
38
39 Q. "... nor the unethical", and we will have to see what that
40 might be meant to mean in due course, "and in some cases
41 illegal acts that McDonald's would soon be engaged in."
42 Did McDonald's, the Corporation, engage in any illegal acts
43 in the course of this event?
44 A. Clearly not.
45
46 Q. To your knowledge, in other words, as far as you are aware,
47 did Ralph Kelly engage in any illegal act?
48 A. Clearly not and, if he had, that would have been
49 brought to everyone's attention by the National Labour
50 Relations Board.
51
52 Q. He says: "The first thing that McDonald's did was to
53 challenge our right to have an election". Did McDonald's
54 challenge his right to have an election?
55 A. There was a hearing when their petition was filed,
56 again I think it was for one location, one of the issues
57 I think immediately was whether it was one or three.
58
59 Q. What, the unit question?
60 A. Yes, but then the other issue that did happen was we
