European and US workers united in fair pay fight

Nov 29 2016

Excerpts:

Today, underpaid and undervalued McDonald’s workers from across Europe will appear before the European Parliament in Brussels. Proud members of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union (BFAWU), will stand in full force with their brothers and sisters from Belgian union FGTB-ABVV Horval and the CGT from France to challenge McDonald’s poor pay, unacceptable conditions and union-busting techniques.

At the same time, our US allies from Fight for $15 (FF$15) — supported by the two million-member Service Employees International Union (SEIU) — will be starting a nationwide day of action.

Frustration with the rigged economy defined the presidential election.

Now they’re taking to the streets to fight for a $15 (£12) minimum wage, union rights and to show their unrelenting opposition to any move that would gut workers’ rights or healthcare.

But don’t be fooled by the dollar sign — this is a global movement for a global cause and today’s strike marks its fourth anniversary of standing up for working people.


The FF$15 coalition has worked tirelessly to expose the worst culprit when it comes to eating up worker rights: McDonald’s.
And a multinational corporation requires multinational action.

McDonald’s has been a law unto itself for too long now. This is a company that has subjected its staff to zero-hours contracts. A company that, at a time when working people are on the breadline across this country, greedily swallows fat profits year after year.
McDonald’s even extracts millions from the government to subsidise “apprenticeships” where young workers are paid less than the living wage.

And we will continue to expose McDonald’s for what it really is: a company that puts profit before people, and intents on breaking the rules, wherever and whenever it can.

Take tax avoidance — business as usual for McDonald’s. Last year an international coalition of labour unions and NGOs issued a report showing that McDonald’s dodged more than €1 billion in Europe between 2009 and 2013. This led to the opening of an investigation by the European Commission and McDonald’s could soon be next on the list of companies to rightly be held accountable to taxpayers.
Our message is beginning to get through — and McDonald’s is finding it has fewer and fewer friends as a result.

https://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-4624-European-and-US-workers-united-in-fair-pay-fight