My wife and I are boycotting McDonald's. We will not be taking our nieces there anymore.

[redirish28]

http://rawstory.com/news/2008/McDonalds_No_workers_comp_for_employee_0222.html


Fast food giant McDonald's has denied workers compensation benefits to a minimum wage employee who was shot when he ejected a customer who had been beating a woman inside the restaurant.

A representative of the administrator for McDonald's workers compensation plan explained that "we have denied this claim in its entirety as it is our opinion that Mr. Haskett's injuries did not arise out of or within the course and scope of his employment."


>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>



And my wife is trying to find phone number or e-mail address she can use to get a message to McDonald's about her feelings.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

1. I'd join in the boycott

except I've boycotted them for nearly 30 years.

[Ernesto]

2. Glad you came to your senses

We all like make youngsters happy, but if we listened to them, we'd be feeding them candy all day long. They need leadership in nutrition too.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tVfAWbitBTs

[liberal N proud]

3. I have not eaten McDonalds for several years

[theoldman]

4. I would not get too upset about this.

Eventually they will have to pay. It will be cheaper than losing a lot of business. It's alway all about money.

[FarCenter]

6. And wanting to discourage employees from being heroes instead of calling 911

[elleng]

9. which is not a bad idea.

Not everything businesses do is bad; there are usually reasons, and with explanations, many (even here) would agree.

[Lorien]

53. In that case calling 911 instead of intervening would have been very bad

for the woman who was being beaten. Sometimes swift action is necessary.

I once (pre cell phones) witnessed a terrible accident where a motorcyclist was hit by a pickup truck. Not having any first aid training, I drove to the nearest business-a Burger King-and ran in telling them that they needed to call 811 because of what just happened outside. The employees told the manager, who came out to tell me that it was "none of their business" and that they "did not want to get involved". I asked him if I could call 911 using the phone in his office. He said no, he didn't want to be liable for anything (??). So I pushed passed him marched into his office and made the call. I told them that he was welcome to call the police-at least emergency personnel would be here then. A guy's LIFE was on the line and this jerk wouldn't even make a phone call??? WTF is wrong with this Nation? Where are our priorities? Is EVERYTHING about protecting profits from imaginary threats? Do we care about anything outside of protecting corporations and their profits, honestly?

He didn't make a move to stop me or call the cops. He just kept saying "Ma'am, you shouldn't go back there. Ma'am, you should find another phone. Ma'am, I think you should leave". I did once help was on it's way. People have lost their souls.

[elleng]

58. I agree that these were circumstances

wherein the need for emergency aid should have prevailed. The people we deal with, saying 'You should leave,' and denying benefits are, in fact, doing their jobs.

If handled properly, I think the policies would be waived. It takes a different approach, tho, than saying 'People have lost their souls.' We haven't; life and the world are much more complex than they were in the past, and we all, including businesses, have to learn to handle situations in socially responsible ways.

[Lorien]

79. Allowing someone to die is not socially responsible

when their lives can be saved with a simple phone call.

[elleng]

81. Exactly.

.

[nichomachus]

59. Yeah -- let's punish him -- it'll be a lesson to others

I'm not a big fan of people trying to be heroes -- a lot of people get killed that way -- but you curb their enthusiasm by education and not by punishing a person who got hurt trying to do what he thought was the right thing.

I wish I could boycott McDonalds, but I haven't been in one in centuries.

[Downtown Hound]

68. Sometimes things happen too fast to call 911

Anybody that's ever worked in retail long enough has stories to tell, and if they didn't take action themselves then by the time the cops got there it would be too late.

[ejpoeta]

5. i don't go to mcdonalds anyway, but now i definitely won't be going there!!!

[missingfink]

25. When on the road I go into McDonalds all the time

just to use the restrooms though. I wouldn't eat the greasy food but the kids pestered me for happy meals for so many years that I have taken my revenge by using the handy restrooms for free ever since they outgrew Mickey D's.

[ejpoeta]

40. we used to bug my dad for happy meals. and my kids always want to go.

i refuse to go to mcdonalds. once in a great while i will go, then i remember why i hate mcdonalds so much. my girls love to go to subway. i tend to take them there. in the summer if we are at the park sometimes we go to wendys and get frostys. when we were in florida we went to mcdonalds because they had the playplace for the kids. good way to tire them out so they'd sleep on the drive.

[greenbriar]

7. My daughter works for Micky D's and thanks you for your support

don't get me wrong, I am all for voting with our money

but when we boycott out of principle, we screw ourselves and people around us

[BlooInBloo]

8. Yah - that's why I didn't support the South Africa divestment boycott eithers....

Teh stupid. It burns.

[prolesunited]

24. Well, you better hope she doesn't get shot there

based on their wonderful corporate philosophy.

[Thothmes]

74. Should it be corporate philosophy

to arm their employees and expect them (as part of their job description) to defend their customers.

[ColbertWatcher]

36. "but when we boycott out of principle" What other way is there to boycott? n/t

[Raine]

38. "boycott out of principle" what other kind is there...

even if you boycott a business that you feel personally screwed you (out of money or sold a bad product) that is is boycotting out of principle. :shrug: It seems like the only boycott that isn't out of principle is an involuntary boycott because you can't afford to patronize the place.

[Downtown Hound]

70. Your daughter gets paid the same meager hourly wage

regardless of how many people show up. And if enough people stopped going to McDonald's over this incident to the point where it hurt her hours, I can pretty much guarantee you that McDonald's would reconsider it's position.

[Pale Blue Dot]

77. "don't get me wrong, I am all for voting with our money"

...unless it affects me personally.

Thank you. You just explained exactly why we're in this mess.

[Renaissance Man]

10. As a student of the law...

I'd encourage the McDonald's employee to secure an attorney to bring a tort claim against his employer. His injuries, while they were not within the course and scope of his employment did arise out of his employment by virtue of him being at work when this happened.

Boycotting McDonald's won't help. What will help is someone establishing a fund assisting the employee in securing legal representation so that he can win a suit for unemployment benefits in court.

[lonestarnot]

16. Winning a suit for unemployment benefits? LOL

He can do that all on his own.

[Supersedeas]

11. stuffed suits in glass towers with law degrees -- too clever by half

[Renaissance Man]

14. ... and your solution would be?

You may not like what McDonald's is doing, but unlike the employee, I'm sure they are stacked with legal representation, while the employee isn't.

This is basic common law Torts, and the exact language quoted by McDonald's is the common law requirement for employees seeking to collect worker's compensation benefits for injuries they sustain that "arise out of or occur within the scope of their employment."

[Supersedeas]

23. you do know that Worker's Comp is a statutory claim -- but thanks for the lecture about 'common law'

[Supply Side Jesus]

12. His Compensation comes from doing the right thing.

:sarcasm:

[Occam Bandage]

13. A McChicken and a side Caesar salad is a fairly tasty lunch for $2.

While it's unfortunate that the employee was not given workers comp, I will be entirely honest and say that I like cheap lunches more than I like corporate responsibility.

[ThomCat]

17. That's not terribly surprising.

[Occam Bandage]

18. Honesty is the best policy. nt

[HarukaTheTrophyWife]

20. Oh snap

[ensho]

49. lol

nt

[lonestarnot]

21. And in the end your cheap lunch will cost you more than it was worth.

:evilgrin:

[Occam Bandage]

26. Nah. It might cost society more than it was worth to me,

and I recognize that and accept it.

[lonestarnot]

29. And your heart? Arteries?

[Occam Bandage]

32. Excellent.

A 310-cal sandwich with 12% of my daily recommended sat fat intake is unlikely to change that.

McDonalds food is a lot like high fructose corn syrup (disregarding that one is more or less made of the other nowadays). It is not necessarily worse for you than the average of what's out there. However, it is lower quality, and what's more, it's made so that it is extraordinarily easy to consume an inordinately unhealthy amount without being aware of it.

It is quite possible to walk into a McDonalds and end up ordering 1600 calories for lunch by saying nothing more than "A double-quarter-pounder meal, please." Suppose the employee taking his order says, "Would you like to add two apple pies for a dollar?" "Sure," he replies. Hey, look, now the dude's at 2100. If he does that once per week instead of a 500-calorie lunch, that comes to 83200 calories per year he's eaten extra, or 28 pounds he's put on over that year.

[LanternWaste]

84. Many times the dearest and greatest of costs...

Many times the dearest and greatest of costs hit only our souls-- whilst leaving our wallets untouched (or even enlarged), but rarely do we ourselves recognize the actual prices we've paid.

But then again, most of us don't really care about that stuff... it's inconvenient and never looks good on a t-shirt.

[Grinchie]

61. A hearty feast for a shallow mind

Cheap is the operative word here.

[Downtown Hound]

69. And greedy, fat cat corporations everywhere thank you

Corporate America needs good, cheap skate citizens like you. Without you they wouldn't be the billionaires they are today, and those whiny workers would be much better off. On behalf of corporations everywhere, I would like to say thank you for being the unconscious, self-centered consumer that you are. Your cheap lunch is definitely worth the exploitation of the working class everywhere. Way to go!

:patriot:

[madrchsod]

15. from yesterday- email

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=367&topic_id=17606&mesg_id=17612

[Canuckistanian]

19. Well, they don't want to set a precedent

Then all their employees who get shot on the job will want compensation.

And that cuts into the CEO bonus money. And we can't have THAT on our consciences, can we?

[LisaL]

22. They are not likely to notice your boycott. But e-mailing and calling

them is going to be more effective than a boycott. The more publicity this receives, the better for the victim.

[dysfunctional press]

27. i'm soory- but i'm addicted to sausage mcmuffin w/egg, hash browns, & a coke.

it's how i start my day. :shrug:

[greenbriar]

30. Egg McMuffin and hashbrowns for me

every weekday morning

[BlooInBloo]

31. Have 'em add bacon to it - the BEST!

[dysfunctional press]

34. here's the ritualistic way that i do mine...

when i pick up the order, i request a packet of ketchup, and a packet of grape jam.
i take off one of the muffin halves, put some ketchup on the now open-faced sandwich, and then use the hash browns to replace the muffin half that was removed. once i've finished the sandwich, i put grape jelly on that remaining muffin half and eat it.

god, now i can't WAIT til morning...

[K8-EEE]

45. Add BACON to the EGGS AND SAUSAGE??

Isn't there also margarine involved....and....they throw in those fried hash browns. Yikes!! Do you guys get your triglycerides tested?

[Lorien]

56. The BEST way to a shorter life, I'm sure

but hey, if you've got money to burn and like paying for all the extra health care you'll be needing, then have at it!

[BlooInBloo]

86. (shrug) I'm almost 40, and have literally never been sick a day in my life...

At least not that I can recall. (I.e., hangovers don't count, and I don't remember before the age of 5 or so. And I eat .5-1.0 lbs of bacon at a sitting.)

[K8-EEE]

44. Eggs and sausage EVERY DAY?

Whoa.....and coke?

Not to be nutrition police but you might want to start SOME days in a way with less cholestrol, sugar and grease!

[dysfunctional press]

54. the dr. says that my cholesteral is fine.

:hi:

[Maine-ah]

28. KO should make them worst persons in the world.

[flvegan]

33. I boycott them on nutritional grounds.

I don't put shit gas in my car, either.

I applaud the employee and find just another reason to hate McDonalds.

[SheilaT]

35. I have not been to a McDonald's

in several years now. I simply decided their food simply isn't very good and so stopped going. I don't think I'm exactly boycotting them, since I don't pressure others not to go. In fact, this is the first time I've ever bothered to state publicly I no longer go to McDonald's. I'm sure my not buying their stuff has exactly no impact on their bottom line, but I chose to spend my money elsewhere.

[otohara]

42. 14 Years For Me - Garbage Food

haven't drank any soda pop for that long either. My decision has done nothing do hurt their sales, but I sure do feel better.

[K8-EEE]

48. Soda is really baaaad!!

Unhealthy and trash-producing in the extreme.

I'm so happy my 18 y/o read the book "Skinny Bitches" and gave up the Diet Coke! Honestly I think soda is one of the worst things out there -- when I see toddlers with the big gulps it's like, gee will the parents be shocked when the kid gets Type 2 diabetes and has rotten teeth etc!!

[Lorien]

55. Yep. My fibromyalgia symptoms subsided a lot once I gave up diet coke

plus I saved over $350.00 a year by not wasting my money on that crap.

[Grinchie]

63. It's not the Diat Coke, It's the Aspartame

Thanks to Monsanto and Donald Rumsfeld.

Look up Sweet Misery and see how they snuck Aspartame into our food supply. And people wonder why people don't trust GMO food, which cannot even be legally obtained for independant testing due to Patent limitations from the Seed companies.

If they have to hide that hard, then something is rotten in the Corn belt

[Lorien]

80. Yep, I watched "sweet misery" and recommend it to others

it's mostly the aspartame, no doubt about that, but Diet Coke is nothing but chemicals. Caffeine also restricts blood circulation and who knows what the rest of the crap in soda does to us. All in all it's just awful stuff.

[Kablooie]

37. They will back down and give him compensation. But just because of public pressure.

The situation sounds too unfair for it to stand.
But it won't change their basic policy which would disallow compensation.

[democracy1st]

39. jack n da box is much better ,have they started outsourcing order takers yet ?

when they do that I will leave them as well.

[myrna minx]

41. K&R n/t

[JuniperLea]

43. "within the course and scope of his employment"

They make it sound as if he was just there enjoying a filet-o-fish sandwich on his own time.

[Radical Activist]

46. Reason #347 to not eat at McDonalds.

They're a horribly destructive company and their food contributes to more deaths each year than Al-Qaeda.

[K8-EEE]

50. I really feel bad for people "addicted" to it and I really think it IS addicting!

Something about the salt, I do think there are people who eat this kind of food every day.

[ensho]

47. thank you for reposting this - my thread got locked

nt

[gauguin57]

51. Normally, I'd jump right on the bandwagon ... but McDonald's employs my special-needs relative ...

... who was having a lot of trouble with bullies and idiots at his previous job. He LOVES working for McDonald's ... and they really treat him wonderfully, and help him with his skills and make him feel like a productive person. And they help him out a lot with his special diet while on the job.

I rarely eat at McDonald's (I'm a vegetarian ... the side salads are lame, and they have no veggie burger). But McDonald's has been so great to our family ... I just can't boycott for that reason.

[KamaAina]

64. Do they let him work the register?

Or have any contact with customers whatsoever?

I once supervised a woman with Down's who had worked at the same McDonald's for several years -- always in the back. Bear in mind, this is fast food, where a 16-year-old who doesn't have a disability is made assistant manager if s/he stays for six months.

[L0oniX]

52. Geeze ...what's the matter with you all??? I stopped going to those places 20 years ago.

Didn't you see the demonstration of how much fat is in one whopper? For fucks sake, if you are going to eat that much fat you might as well buy a can of lard and use it like ice cream.

[harun]

57. They didn't get the memo.

[Grinchie]

60. Knowing how McDonalds has destroyed agriculture

And transformed it into an inhumane melanges of thousands of animals mixed into a single patty, you would think more people would think about what they put into their body.

The Chicken McNuggets are barely chicken at all, and could be easily formed from bacteria fermenting in a vat. Don't laugh, they are developing just this type of protein, suitable for forming into whatever yummy shape you so desire.

As for tha people who seem to believe that they are actully making money by working at McDonalds, I pity them. Do yourself a favor, quit working for somebody else and spend a few weeks at a libray to determine what you really like to do and then do it! If people believe that they need to work like this for access to Healthcare, it's a sham. The Medical System in America is no better than what is presented in Hollywood fiction. You are more likely to be damaged from a trip to a Hospital via Antiobiotic Resistant Secondary Infection, and the doctor will never tell you that a Big Mac guarantee's a return customer to his office for some unknown Irritable Bowel Syndrome, headaches or obesity.

The Rat race is not meant to lift you out of poverty. It's meant to keep you occupied and exhausted so your true potential can never be discovered, and you get to pay for that privelege through payroll taxes that fund wars overseas.

Sorry to be so harsh, but people need to take the blinders off their eyes and take control of there own lives. It's hard work and takes a lifetime. Don't waste your short life as a fry cook or counterperson, especially when you are selling edible poison.

[H2O Man]

62. I do not believe

in that form of punishment. I can't imagine any of my children doing anything so "bad" that I would use McDonalds as a consequence.

[DFW]

65. I saw that, too. McD is out for me until they reconsider, and maybe not even then.

[tabbycat31]

66. I'd join you but

I haven't eaten McDonalds since 2005 when I saw Super Size Me. I won't go near it anymore.

[Clear Blue Sky]

67. Burger King broils their burgers and they taste better. Go there instead.

[quaker bill]

71. I would join you

but since I never go there anyway, it would be a fairly meaningless gesture.

I was never a frequent customer, but gave them up completely over their one time refusal to pay a penny more a pound for tomatos to help desperately poor migrant farm workers. That boycott ended a number of years ago, but I just had gotten out of the habit of considering them as an option.

[Jokinomx]

72. I am other one that will join this boycott.

I googled McDonalds and went to their official website and sent them an email stating who, what, when and why I will not support their company.

[truedelphi]

73. I first boycotted McDonald's some thirty years ago

After I threw a children's B-day party there, the car would not start.

The manager refused to let me call Triple A using the phone. My child and I had to work for about six blocks to nearest pay phone, which didn't work. The hamburger place cross the alley from the non working phone let me use their phone - I have never entered a McDonald's since.

[johan helge]

75. I'm sure those deciding this vote Republican (nt)

[jillan]

76. No problem - I hate their food - they can't even get an ice coffee right.

It was like drinking chocolate syrup right from the bottle.

ugh!

[jeffrey_X]

78. Haven't eaten there in 5 years.

fuck them

[deaniac21]

82. boycott, girlcott, eieio

[AngryOldDem]

83. This is nothing new for McDonald's.

A former co-worker, who used to work at McD's as a second job, slipped and fell on a wet-mopped floor, during her shift. No signs were posted that the floor was wet. She went round and round with them for more than a year trying to get compensation. Meanwhile, she could barely afford to pay to get her messed-up leg fixed. I told her she was in a battle of attrition with them. and she would lose. She eventually filed a lawsuit and as far as I know McD's was pushing back on that.

Not sure how this was settled.

My kid works for McD's and some of the stories she tells does little to convince me that they care for their workers.

[Dorian Gray]

85. I stopped in one the other day to use the restroom

(It was an emergency!) I was going to buy something as I felt guilty for using it, but they had NO HANDSOAP in the restroom. (The empty dispenser with no soap container in it was right above a sign asking the workers to please wash their hands.) Needless to say, I didn't order ANYTHING in there. Gross.

(I am sure that was just this one location, but it didn't endear McDonalds to me at all!)

(The location was in Brooklyn.... Vanderbilt and Atlantic Avenues.