Day 140 - 22 Jun 95 - Page 69
1 survey, 22 were between $4.25 an hour start rates and $4.74
2 an hour and the average income of those neighbourhoods was
3 $23,000 net". Then, "Four of the establishments paid $4.75
4 to $5.24. The average income in those neighbourhoods was
5 $38,000 a year". Then, "Six of the stores contacted paid
6 $5.25 to $5.74, the average income in those neighbourhoods
7 being $53,000".
8
9 If that is true, would that concern you?
10 A. It means nothing. Are these all the stores? Is the
11 information accurate? I also note it talks about average
12 income of neighbourhoods. I am at a loss. I know we have
13 -- it makes reference later on to zip codes; I am not
14 aware of average income by neighbourhood in the United
15 States.
16
17 Q. It says, "Average income data was" -- this is at the bottom
18 of the first page -- "compiled for each location from the
19 zip code using 'Reside', the National Encyclopaedia of
20 Residential Zip Code Information published in 1988 by the
21 Clarit Task Corporation in Alexandria, Virginia." Have you
22 heard of that?
23 A. No. But the way I read this and as, you know, my
24 interpretation may not be correct, but that is where they
25 got their zip code data. That is not necessarily where
26 they got any wage data or income data.
27
28 Q. No, no, that is the ----
29 A. So where did they get their neighbourhood average
30 income? I have never seen that.
31
32 Q. Now you have seen that, is that something you would
33 investigate to see if it was true?
34 A. On the face of this, sir, I would think this is as
35 bogus as can be, and I would not spin my wheels unless
36 I had someone that I could really come to and I see a
37 number I would probably call that person and ask them,
38 "What is this all about? This just looks insane".
39
40 I will also make reference to a couple of other things. It
41 makes reference to district managers in Baltimore. We do
42 not have a district manager in Baltimore let alone two
43 district managers. If you keep looking through how they
44 got their information and who they got it from this, to me,
45 is not worth anything, sir, with all due regard.
46
47 Q. But, for all you know, it could be true that workers at
48 McDonald's in higher income neighbourhoods are getting
49 higher wages than people in low income neighbourhoods as
50 has already been shown in Philadelphia, whether it was 11
51 cents up to one pound ten -- one dollar ten cents; and if
52 that was happening on the scale suggested in here in
53 Baltimore that would be something that concerned you?
54 A. I disagree with your conclusions and I cannot be
55 concerned about something that I really do not understand.
56
57 Q. If a trade union started publicising this as part of a
58 campaign to recruit in the Baltimore area would you fly
59 down there straightaway to try and sort it out?
60 A. With this document here, no, not on your life. This is
