Day 139 - 21 Jun 95 - Page 37
1 A. Yes, I have, my Lord.
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What I would like you to do, Mr. Morris, is
4 just pick out what you want to put that happened.
5
6 MR. MORRIS: Yes. (To the witness) If you look at the first,
7 about a trade union representative asking the manager of
8 the franchise to recognise the union and negotiate a
9 contract. Is that what happened, once people got -----
10 A. No. In this particular instance, the first notice was
11 when the NLRB petition arrived at the owner/operator's
12 place of business.
13
14 Q. That is as far as you know, of course?
15 A. That is when the owner/operator was informed that there
16 was something happening.
17
18 Q. That is what he or she told you?
19 A. That is correct.
20
21 Q. So the owner/operator told you that the first they heard of
22 it was when it became an official application?
23 A. That is correct.
24
25 Q. Then it says that the staff were immediately invited to a
26 party on St. Valentine's Eve. Does that jog your memory
27 about a St. Valentine's party?
28 A. No, it does not. They did not immediately set up any
29 parties. I totally disagree with that.
30
31 Q. Basketball and volleyball teams were formed; do you know
32 anything about that?
33 A. I do know that the owner/operator had, for a long, long
34 time, had leagues between his stores, if you will; they
35 would play each other and other McDonald's in the area for
36 some time. It is a typical American thing, to have that.
37
38 Q. The staff being offered a free meal a day. Now, we have
39 heard that some stores offered half price meals and some
40 offered free meals. Did you investigate? Was this one of
41 the allegations that came up of sweeteners, do you
42 remember?
43 A. Not that I remember, because he gave free meals.
44
45 Q. When did he contact you; at what period did he contact you?
46 A. When he got the petition, he called me and said that he
47 had set up a meeting with his lawyer, and would I please
48 attend.
49
50 Q. Before that, you had no personal experience of what was
51 happening before that, then?
52 A. None whatsoever, none.
53
54 Q. Did you investigate what was happening before that?
55 A. No, because I really did not care what was happening
56 before that.
57
58 Q. Right. So the period of some three to four months,
59 whatever it was, would have been from the date that the
60 actual petition was filed?
