Protesters arrested in pay fight at McDonald's HQ

[Omaha Steve]

Source: AP-Excite

By PRIYA SRIDHAR and CANDICE CHOI

OAK BROOK, Ill. (AP) — Protesters were arrested after crossing a barricade outside McDonald's headquarters on Wednesday, as hundreds demonstrated to call attention to the low pay earned by fast-food workers.

The actions come ahead of the company's annual shareholders meeting Thursday, where it is also expected to be confronted on issues including its executive pay packages and marketing to children.

Early Wednesday, organizers changed the location of their demonstration after learning McDonald's closed the building where they had planned their actions and told employees there to work from home. The corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois, has several buildings on a sprawling campus.

Down the street from Hamburger University, dozens of police officers in riot gear warned protesters to disperse. People dressed in McDonald's uniforms essentially volunteered to be arrested by peacefully crossing a barricade. Organizers said about 100 McDonald's workers who traveled from around the country were arrested, along with community leaders and supporters.

FULL story at link.


Read more: http://apnews.excite.com/article/20140521/mcdonalds-protests-f38b2dd3f2.html

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I'll post the phone# and info to call McDonald's shortly.



Hundreds of protesters flooded the streets Wednesday, May 2014, near the McDonald{2019}s Corp. headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill. railing about low wages and seeking $15 per hour for the rank and file. The Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago{2019}s Fight for 15 said in a statement that restaurant workers have held strikes and protests six times in the last 1 1/2 years challenging the company{2019}s median wage of $8.94. The Wednesday protest is a preview of what the group said it plans for Thursday{2019}s annual stockholder{2019}s meeting. The company closed one of its five buildings in anticipation of the protests. (AP Photo / Daily Herald, Bev Horne)

[randys1]

1. This reminds me of how ignorant the average con is about economics

They believe the reason we cant have good jobs here is corp taxes are too high and govt is too intrusive with regulations.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

[sulphurdunn]

13. Yea, if corpo taxes

were lower there would be more fairy dust for the job creators to sprinkle around to raise wages and create more jobs.

[TBF]

18. Here is ammunition to counter that argument -

?3

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/chart-shows-corp-taxes-grossly-unfair_n_3321737.html

[Fred Sanders]

2. Dozens of police in riot gear but not even a cop to be found at the armed militia Camp Bundy?

Clearly only unarmed citizens will be subject to an armed police response and arrest in democratic and free America....

[randys1]

4. Exactly, makes one wonder why bother obeying any laws at all

[PatrynXX]

6. never have figured that out

just a tragedy waiting to happen. shoot a bunch of unarmed people yeah real manly

[Ash_F]

12. Ranching is a White man's business.

Well owning a Ranch, anyway.

Law enforcement is also a White man's business.

Minimum wage food service is for minorities and women.

Put two and two together.

[951-Riverside]

3. Good. Put McDonald's out of business. They've been killing people for decades

They can keep their McHeartDisease and McDiabetes.

The unions did a good thing by putting hostess and their sugar coasted poison out of business. Humans were not made to process that sodium/sugar laced garbage.

I hope walmart is crushed next. They've completely destroyed the mom and pop shops along with any available space of greenery.

[randys1]

5. Walmart has done more harm than 100 Al Qaeda's could hope to

and RAYGUN made it all possible

[PatrynXX]

7. Target is much worse

at least the spotlight is on Walmart.

Target won't allow charities outside its doors and they treat their employees like drones

[randys1]

8. They are bad but Walmart is the big killer of the middle class

[LiberalElite]

11. But the sugary stuff that Hostess produced -including Twinkies -

is back on the shelves -using nonunion employees.

http://hostesscakes.com/

[Omaha Steve]

9. Please call McDonald's info

More info here: http://action.sumofus.org/a/mcdonalds-call-shareholder-protest/?akid=5386.204932.bA683c&rd=1&t=1

Thousands of people are protesting right now at the McDonald's corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Illinois. McDonald's response: shut down corporate headquarters and send all of its executives home instead of listening to its workers.

McDonald’s workers are bravely choosing to speak out in advance of the the company’s annual shareholder meeting in order to bring attention to working conditions in the fast-food industry.

McDonald’s workers have already risked their job security by going on strike last week. It’s time for us to support McDonald’s workers as they literally stand in the shadow of a huge corporation. The McDonald’s shareholders’ meeting is less than 24 hours away and all of our voices now count.

Call McDonald’s and make sure it knows we are standing with its workers for better wages and working conditions.

McDonald’s cannot survive without its millions of customers around the world. If we start calling their customer service line right now, McDonald’s will have to pay attention to our hundreds and hundreds of voices in support of their workers. As shareholders and consumers, SumOfUs members must stand up with McDonald’s workers as we’ve done before -- demanding better working conditions and higher wages from corporate behemoths like Walmart. Together, we can make corporations like McDonald’s and Walmart take notice and listen.

Adriana Alvarez is one of the workers standing in front of the McDonald’s corporate headquarters right now: she has worked at McDonald’s for 4 years and makes just $9.15 an hour. She’s fighting for $15 an hour for her 2-year old at home. Yet, McDonald’s, as a corporate entity, pulls in over $5 billion in profit every year.

McDonald’s workers are marching with thousands of supporters throughout the afternoon in front of the corporate headquarters. By calling in to McDonald’s, SumOfUs members can make a huge difference by showing that consumers and shareholders also support McDonald’s workers in their fight for fair wages and the right to a union.

And it’s not just us. We will be calling in with other groups, like CREDO Action and MoveOn.org, to show that consumers from across the country are pushing McDonald’s to respect its workers and pay them a living wage. Let’s call in right now to show our support.

Pick up the phone and call McDonald’s at 1-800-572-9499 to demand a living wage for fast-food workers.

Thanks for all that you do,
Paul, Sahar, Marie and the rest of the team at SumOfUs

** If you only get through to a voicemail box, be assured that it's because McDonald's is overwhelmed with thousands of other callers showing support for the workers!

http://action.sumofus.org/a/mcdonalds-call-shareholder-protest/?akid=5386.204932.bA683c&rd=1&t=1

SumOfUs is a worldwide movement of people like you, working together to hold corporations accountable for their actions and forge a new, sustainable path for our global economy. Please help keep SumOfUs strong by chipping in $3.

McDonald’s workers are being arrested right now outside of corporate headquarters for demanding a living wage.

Call McDonald’s now to stand with workers asking for better wages and the right to form a union.

Make a call : http://action.sumofus.org/a/mcdonalds-call-shareholder-protest/?akid=5386.204932.bA683c&rd=1&t=1

[yallerdawg]

10. Maybe the Republicans...

will concede $10.10 an hour minimum wage.

Since $10.10 is just an adjustment to old numbers, the Republicans will again laugh and laugh, resetting the whole thing at least $5 to $10 an hour below living wage, depending on local economic conditions.

We are fighting and fighting for back to the status quo. And the Republicans will say, "We'll give you this, and see you in another 10 years."

If it gets tight, franchise owners will just cut back hours (will customer service suffer? - its McDonalds, you don't even have to get out of the car!).

Meanwhile, while the wages are still lower, the rich get richer, and the poor get poorer - fact.

[octoberlib]

14. They were met by a freakin' army

Grabbed this from my Twitter timeline.

Aaron Cynic
?@aaroncynicThis is how peaceful #FastFoodGlobal demonstrators were greeted at McDonalds' shareholder's mtg today. #fightfor15






:large


https://twitter.com/aaroncynic/status/469228337240768513/photo/1

[lsewpershad]

15. What do can you expect

Our govt at [all level including the police] works for businesses.

[Omaha Steve]

16. Lots of PHOTOS here

https://twitter.com/search?q=%23FastFoodGlobal&src=hash&mode=photos

[Omaha Steve]

17. SEIU’s President Henry also Arrested at McDonald’s Shareholders’ Meeting

http://nhlabornews.com/2014/05/seius-president-henry-and-100-workers-arrested-at-mcdonalds-shareholders-meeting/

WASHINGTON, DC – Following her arrest at the McDonald’s shareholders’ meeting outside of Chicago, Mary Kay Henry, President of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), issued the following statement:

“Earlier today, I was arrested outside of McDonald’s world headquarters alongside more than 100 McDonald’s workers from across the country because we engaged in a peaceful, nonviolent act of civil disobedience.

“I was arrested because I want McDonald’s workers to know that 2.1 million members of SEIU — home care workers, child care workers, adjunct professors, security officers, hospital workers and many others — proudly stand with them.

FULL story at link.