Day 184 - 06 Nov 95 - Page 41
1 were reassured that those were things that were going to be
2 negotiated over, improvements sought for the benefit of
3 crew members, then is it true to say that you would have
4 had no problem with the whole situation?
5 A. No. I would have had a problem. I would not have
6 signed a card.
7
8 Q. Why not? You do not want improved benefits and wage
9 increases and dental payments?
10 A. I do not want -----
11
12 Q. Would you like someone to negotiate those things for crew
13 members at McDonald's, so that they can have improved
14 benefits?
15 A. I feel, for crew who, this is their first job that they
16 have ever had, for most of them, McDonald's does a great
17 amount of good things for them, and I was totally happy
18 when I was just going to school, this is my first job,
19 grade 10, 11, 12. I mean, it was just extra pocket money
20 to do whatever I wanted to do. I mean, people that are 16,
21 17, 18, do not go looking for a job just because it has
22 benefits, or whatnot. They are just -- I mean, when you
23 are 15, 16, 17, you just want the money so that you can go
24 to the movies, go out to dinner, you know, have a good
25 time. You are not looking for those extra benefits. As
26 for me, I mean ------
27
28 Q. So McDonald's can take advantage of -----
29
30 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No. She must finish her answer.
31
32 THE WITNESS: As for me, I did not want any of those benefits,
33 because I was happy with that I had. I mean -----
34
35 MR. MORRIS: You just had to work at another job to raise enough
36 money so you could go -----
37 A. No, that is not true. I was trying to get more hours
38 and I was trying to raise money for university. But I made
39 less working that summer than the summer before, just
40 working at McDonald's.
41
42 They -- when I say "they", I am also including me, which
43 means "we" -- we go out of our way do as much as we can for
44 the crew and for, you know, anyone who has problems. When
45 I had problems, I went and talked to Patty, a Manager
46 there. She was like my second mom. We are all like a big
47 family there; if you have problems, we go and talk it out
48 and we try and help each other out. If you are looking for
49 more hours, your friends -- you know, they need a shift
50 taken, they know you are looking for hours, they say: "Hey,
51 do you want a shift?" I mean -----
52
53 Q. A majority of employees in a short space of time joined the
54 union, having, you say, been promised improved benefits.
55 When people work at McDonald's and get a 20 cent increase
56 (whatever it is) from their performance review, are they
57 pleased to have more money?
58 A. They feel they deserved it, they earned it; they worked
59 the six months to get that raise.
60
