Day 138 - 20 Jun 95 - Page 31
1 page ----
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, I have read that.
4
5 MR. MORRIS: What was that last passage?
6
7 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is 43 which is on page 18 and 107 which is
8 on page 38, is the alleged union troubles in the mid 60s
9 followed by closing the Puerto Rico store.
10
11 THE WITNESS: Could I seek clarification? Are you saying mid
12 60s or mid 70s?
13
14 MR. RAMPTON: Mid 60s is what it says: It says, in its
15 expanded form, Mr. Stein: "In Puerto Rico in the mid
16 1960s, the Hotel Restaurants Employees Union was elected to
17 represent workers at all McDonald's stores". Pausing
18 there, so far as you know, you were not there at the time;
19 is that right?
20 A. Is the statement that they chose the union in the mid
21 60s?
22
23 Q. Yes. Was that union elected to represent workers in those
24 stores during the 60s?
25 A. The information I had was that there was no election,
26 that the owner/operator -- the operator there voluntarily
27 recognised the union in the mid 60s.
28
29 Q. What was his name, that owner/operator?
30 A. There was -- again it is hard for me because I was not
31 there. Gibson and Goldstein were awarded the franchise,
32 that I know. At some point in time, Goldstein sold to
33 Gibson, so I do not know what the timing of the sale was.
34 I do not know which one was the owner and operator at the
35 time of the union recognition. I believe it was Gibson but
36 I cannot say with certainty.
37
38 MR. RAMPTON: That is fair enough. There is a short historical
39 account in your statement which winds up with Mr. Gibson
40 entering into a collective bargaining agreement with
41 somebody called the Gastronomical Workers Union?
42 A. That is the best I can do, not having first hand
43 knowledge.
44
45 Q. Then you go on, and again this is before your time, you
46 tell us about a report that "Mr. Gibson's operational
47 standards were very poor and this resulted in McDonald's
48 terminating his franchise for Puerto Rico"?
49 A. That is correct.
50
51 Q. So he was out of the frame by the time you came along, was
52 he?
53 A. Yes, by the time I was employed he was out of the
54 picture.
55
56 Q. Who was the operator when you came along?
57 A. Don Miller.
58
59 Q. Don Miller. The pleading -- I will just finish it,
60 Mr. Stein, for your benefit -- goes on: "After negotiating
