Did somebody say union?
Young strikers tell McDonald's: 'We're not ground
meat'
By Martha Grevatt
Macedonia, Ohio
Once again, Macedonia is in the news-but this
time it's Macedonia, Ohio. Here, for the first time in the
fast-food giant's history, a group of young workers walked out
on strike at a McDonald's restaurant in the United States.
Brian Drapp and Jamal Nickens were scheduled to start work
at 6 a.m. on April 12. Instead, they set up a picket line.
Signs read "Strike" and "No McDonald's Today."
As more workers arrived for work, more joined the picket
line. By midweek, at least 15 employees had taken part in the
walkout.
The key issue was the disrespect supervisors dish out on a
daily basis. "I have been sworn at and called derogatory
names," complained Josh Jones.
"We are being treated like ground meat," Jason Cyphert
said.
There were economic issues as well: Some workers were paid
as little as $5.80 an hour-and were training new hires who were
starting at $6.50 an hour.
Nickens explained to Workers World that the restaurant was
understaffed, and management knew it. He also said workers had
to use broken equipment. Still, supervisors repeatedly
inflicted verbal abuse, criticizing every little mistake and
demanding more work.
"No matter how little money you make, even if you only make
$2 an hour, as a human being you are entitled to respect," he
said.
The strikers receive strong support from passersby. By April
14 they had been approached by the Teamsters union with
encouragement and advice. Over half the work force signed union
cards.
When a Teamster driver refused to deliver a truckload of
buns, management was forced to negotiate.
Six young strikers, all under 21 years old, sat down to
negotiate with McDonald's corporate representatives. They won a
written agreement to end the name calling and send managers to
sensitivity training, and to have regular crew meetings to
allow future complaints to be aired.
On the economic front, they won a base rate of $6.50 an
hour, with raises based on length of service. They won a
one-week paid vacation after a year's service.
Altogether, they won 15 demands. The agreement also covers
workers at two other McDonald's restaurants owned by the same
person who owns the one in Macedonia.
The workers do not yet have an official union contract, but
they have become an "associate" of the Teamsters union.
Their fight attracted worldwide media attention, from "Good
Morning America" to the Washington Post to a newspaper in
Australia. Now workers at other McDonald's, as well as other
chains such as Taco Bell, have contacted them. They want to do
the same thing.
Did somebody say union?
This article is copyright under a Creative
Commons License.
Workers World, 55 W. 17 St., NY, NY 10011
Email: ww@workers.org
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