Day 192 - 27 Nov 95 - Page 20


     
     1        minimum wage.  You understand me?  But the last time when
     2        that happened during the union, I kept, I believe, part of
     3        my increase.  When the union was in power, it was
     4        November 1st 1993 that this would have happened.  When the
     5        minimum wage went up, I kept my increase on top of that.
     6
     7   Q.   So the differential, if you like, from the performance
     8        reviews would be lost when people's wages were increased
     9        because of the minimum wage increase?
    10        A.  Yes.
    11
    12   Q.   But during the union period, people would keep those, would
    13        they, those ---
    14        A.  Yes.
    15
    16   Q.   -- differentials?
    17
    18   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  We will take the five-minute break there.
    19
    20                          (Short Adjournment)
    21
    22   MR. MORRIS:  Just before we go on to the union drive, you have
    23        said in your second statement, about a counter person's
    24        job: "They don't let you rest, just don't stop.  It is like
    25        you are a robot", and you talked about being on or very
    26        close to the minimum wage.  Now, they both applied when
    27        Mr. Tingle was the store owner; is that correct?
    28        A.  When Mr. Tingle owned the store, it was a little bit
    29        more lax.  It was not -- we were not quite as under
    30        pressure.  It was not as intimidating.  But, yes, you still
    31        had to keep going; still a rushed atmosphere, still very
    32        rushed.
    33
    34   Q.   Because then you say: "Under the management that was there
    35        when I first went to work at McDonald's, it was fine.  You
    36        were treated with respect."  Can you just explain what you
    37        mean by "it was fine"?
    38        A.  The way I define "fine" at that restaurant was, we were
    39        treated as human beings, we were treated with dignity and
    40        respect; and it was not, like, when you went in for work
    41        you did not feel that you had to watch out because of what
    42        type of mood the managers were in, whether you keep your
    43        job or lose your job that day.
    44
    45   Q.   So, was it a question of management style, then?
    46        A.  I believe so.
    47
    48   Q.   But the work, was the work -- well, we will leave it at
    49        that.
    50 
    51        One of the witnesses that appeared before for McDonald's -- 
    52        I cannot remember which one it was -- said something about 
    53        a change with Mr. Ballantyne, or a big change was that
    54        there were problems with unsafe food being sold with
    55        Mr. Tingle.  Were there any differences between Mr. Tingle
    56        and Mr. Ballantyne in terms of, you know, the food safety?
    57        A.  No, I do not believe so.  It was probably about the
    58        same when Ballantyne took over.  There were still problems
    59        with the quarter pounders being cooked thoroughly; like, a
    60        lot of the time, they were still sort of raw in the

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