Thursday, June 6: Canada Joins Protests in 30+ Countries Targeting McDonalds’Labor Abuse
by Justice for Migrant Workers
Student guestworker fight from U.S. becomes global campaign against labor abuse, for freedom of association
WHAT: Global day of action in 30+ countries against McDonald’s labor abuse
WHERE: McDonalds Restaurant at 160 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
WHERE: McDonalds Restaurant at 160 Spadina Avenue, Toronto
Actions also taking place at McDonald’s restaurants in the U.S., Belgium, Brazil, China, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, New Zealand, Paraguay, Philippines, Slovakia, Thailand, Uruguay, and more (see www.notlovinit.com for details)
12:30pm. Thursday, June 6, 2013
Justice for Migrant Workers <http://www.justicia4migrantworkers.org/>,
Workers Action Centre <http://www.workersactioncentre.org/> and
No One Is Illegal - Toronto <http://www.toronto.nooneisillegal.org> join
National Guestworker Alliance members, current and former McDonald’s workers, global
unions, and community members
Toronto, ON — A Global Day of Action against McDonald’s labor abuse began June 5 with a protest in Jakarta, Indonesia
– the first in a series of actions in more than 30 countries
Workers, international unions, and community members are demanding that McDonald’s take responsibility for ending the abuse of international contract workers at its restaurants, and guarantee all its workers the freedom to organize without threats or retaliation at all 34,000 McDonald’s restaurants worldwide.
The actions mark the three-month anniversary of a historic strike
Justice for Migrant Workers, Workers Action Centre and No One Is Illegal - Toronto join the National Guestworker Alliance
The March 2013 exposé of McDonald’s labor abuse against student guestworkers in the U.S. created an international media firestorm, from the Wall Street Journal<http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323628804578348620014963766.html> to Argentina’s Misiones <http://www.misionesonline.net/noticias/07/03/2013/el-posade-o-jorge-r-os-lidera-una-huelga-contra-un-mcdonald-s-en-estados-unidos>
The students’ strike forced McDonald’s to cut ties with the franchisee where the students worked, but McDonald’s refused to meet with the students about ending labor abuse—even when they delivered 100,000 petitions to the CEO’s doorstep. They and their allies will demand that McDonald’s put an end abuse of international contract labor by signing an agreement with the guestworkers in its restaurants, and guarantee freedom of association for all its workers worldwide.
Cases of labor abuse at McDonald’s show the fast food giant’s failure to set even the most basic labor standards for *any* of the 1.8 million workers<http://www.aboutmcdonalds.com/mcd/our_company.html> at its 34,000 restaurants around the world. McDonald’s sets standards for its franchise owners on trivial aspects of food presentation—while having no standards to protect the workers who generate $27.6 billion in annual revenue<http://investing.businessweek.com/research/stocks/earnings/earnings.asp?ticker=MCD>
for the corporation.
“McDonald’s used a global labor supply chain to source cheap, exploitable workers from around the world and hold down wages and conditions for U.S. workers,” said Saket Soni, executive director of the NGA. “Now workers have built a global movement to challenge McDonald’s abuse and demand the right to organize against abuse.”
*CONTACT*: Chris Ramsaroop - Justice for Migrant Workers (647 834 4932)
and Sonia Singh - Workers Action Centre (647 235 6912)
Global: Stephen Boykewich, 718-791-9162, stephen@guestworkeralliance.org
and Sonia Singh - Workers Action Centre (647 235 6912)
Global: Stephen Boykewich, 718-791-9162, stephen@guestworkeralliance.org
*LINKS*
Global Day of Action site: http://notlovinit.com
Photos and Videos of Global Actions:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96762436@N04/
Press Coverage: www.guestworkeralliance.org/category/mcdonalds-must-pay/
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