WAR ON GOLDEN ARCHES MAY BE AN UPHILL BATTLE
TORONTO SATURDAY MARCH21 1998
A new union campaign aimed at organizing McDonalds restaurants across Canada will find it easier going in sone provinces than others.Labour experts say tougher legislation for union certification in Ontario and Alberta will make organizing the fast food outlets in those provinces more difficult than in other jurisdictions.But,even in union freindly British Columbia and Qubec oganizers aren't expecting a cakewalk.McDonalds workers tend to be young transient and in small operations ,conditions which make it difficult to mount a successful union drive. "The company is also viciously anti union" says the director of organizing at the British Columbia Federation of Labour. ' ALL THE TRICKS'
Ontario Federation of Labour president said unions are needed to help service-sector workers deal with problems such as irregular hours and the lack of benifits. "But McDonalds' is an employer that uses all the tricks in the book to avoid unionization " he acknowledged. The Teamsters union launched its campaign Wednesday and since then , national and provincial labour federations have pledged support. A spokesman for McDonalds Canada said the company would not comment ..The Teamsters initiave is an infuriated response to McDonalds handling of recent attempts to unionize two outlets in Quebec."We will commit all the financial and human resources necessary with the goal of unionizing at least one restaurant in each major city". Said the Teamsters president. The union wont promote a boycott of McDonalds because it doesn't want to be accused of jeopardizing young peoples jobs, but he called upon the public to show McSolidarity with the union drive by writing faxing, e-mailing and organizing petitions to pressure the company.
Courtesy of James BASE727(m.c.p.)
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