Day 138 - 20 Jun 95 - Page 11
1 in my career less to that.
2
3 Q. You are now the Senior Vice President having responsibility
4 for this aspect of the Company's business, are you not?
5 A. That is correct.
6
7 Q. In that capacity, and as a person, how do you react to this
8 allegation?
9 A. The allegation that we?
10
11 Q. What is your personal reaction to the allegation that
12 people from ethnic minorities are sacked for trying to
13 organise within stores?
14 A. I have to be very specific, I am very upset over that
15 allegation. It is a totally untruthful allegation
16 concerning our conduct and behaviour within the United
17 States. It claims we engage in illegal acts that we do not
18 engage in.
19
20 Q. Look at the top of the next column, please: "McDonald's
21 have a policy of preventing unionisation by getting rid of
22 pro-union workers. So far, this has succeeded everywhere
23 in the world except Sweden and in Dublin after a long
24 struggle." There appear to be two assertions there,
25 Mr. Stein. First, that McDonald's has a policy of getting
26 rid of pro-union workers, black, white, yellow or any
27 colour, do you see that?
28 A. Yes, I do see that.
29
30 Q. What is your comment about that allegation?
31 A. Rubbish, totally untrue. That would not only be
32 illegal but probably be one of the dumbest things a company
33 could ever do. You would create a martyr situation. Your
34 employees would never stand for that and they would rise up
35 against you. Either you have integrity as a company or you
36 will go out of business.
37
38 Q. Then, so far as the second part of that sentence is
39 concerned, Mr. Stein, going back to that fairly long list
40 of countries in the world where there is union organisation
41 in McDonald's restaurants, or their owner/operator
42 restaurants, how long has it been that those countries, it
43 is not obviously one date, but how long has it been since
44 the McDonald's operation in those countries has been
45 organised, unionised?
46 A. Are you talking about Sweden and Dublin?
47
48 Q. No, in the long list you gave us?
49 A. How long have they been organised?
50
51 Q. I can read them out to you.
52 A. OK?
53
54 Q. Mexico, Sweden, Panama, Denmark?
55 A. Do you want to go through them one at a time?
56
57 Q. All right, Mexico?
58 A. Since 1985?
59
60 Q. Sweden?
