McDonald's workers unite, line up for pogey

A unionized McDonald's on the North American continent: the prospect came tantalizingly close to reality Monday with the announcement that the ex-employees of the McDonald's restaurant in St-Hubert had achieved their long-awaited union accreditation with the Teamsters. All they need now is a McDonald's to work in. >> Their place of work has been nonexistent ever since their bosses, franchise owners Mike and Tom Cappelli, closed the St-Hubert restaurant, claiming it was a money-loser. The timing of the closing, combined with the fact that the brothers had done their utmost beforehand to squelch the union drive, prompted the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec to call for an investigation of the St-Hubert locale's state of finances. So far the Cappellis have refused to show the FTQ their books, and an announcement is expected this week on the FTQ and Teamsters' next step against the notoriously anti-union hamburger giant. >> Meanwhile, at the McDonald's at Papineau and Mont-Royal, union-seeking employees found themselves working alongside dozens of new employees who were hired en masse to dilute union support there. Their union hearing is scheduled for April. >> The attacks on McDonald's are coming from all sides. Business Week's cover story this week, "McDonald's: Can It Regain Its Golden Touch?" describes the secretive managerial style that prevails at McDonald's, its refusal to listen to franchise owners' complaints and its hatred of criticism in the media. It also reports that a soon-to-be-released survey for Restaurants & Institutions magazine found that 2,800 people grading chains on the taste of their food ranked McDonald's 87th out of 91--just behind Hooter's. --Jacquie Charlton