(Photo credit: Flickr user Dave_B__)
Christmas is a time most Americans view as an opportunity to take a well-deserved holiday with their families and loved ones. But that’s apparently not how Ronald McDonald sees it.
Ad Age has obtained an internal memo from McDonald’s Chief Operating Officer Jim Johannesen where he advocates for keeping the chain open on Christmas Day. “Our largest holiday opportunity as a system is Christmas Day. Last year, [company-operated] restaurants that opened on Christmas averaged $5,500 in sales,” he writes in the memo.
McDonald’s spokeswoman Heather Oldani told Ad Age that she won’t comment on leaked documents but that “when our company-owned restaurants are open on the holidays, the staff voluntarily sign up to work. There is no regular overtime pay.”
This is, of course, a weak justification. If a store must be open on a holiday, employees will feel pressure to sign up to work. And if they are working on America’s most treasured holiday, they deserve overtime pay. McDonald’s should not treat its workforce this way. We’re not loving it.
Obscene greed. Looks like McDonalds will have to join Walmart on my ‘do not shop’ list.
Grotesque
I’m all for worker’s rights, but since this is a religious holiday, have the non-christians work it. Problem solved.
It occurred to me that I’ve never had a problem with the Chinese restaurants operating normal hours on Christmas, and that this could be like that. But I think they should pay a holiday bonus of some sort if not overtime. The tiny family business my teenage daughter works for is paying her double for working a few hours Christmas (it’s a kennel — the animals still need to be taken care of).
As an Atheist, fuck off. I’m not working on a day everyone else has off, especially when it’s commercial in nature at this point and everyone knows it. Pffft.
Yeah, atheist here. Go fuck yourself dude. Your religion doesn’t entitle you to an extra day off.
Yeah, actually, it does.
http://www.adl.org/religious_freedom/resource_kit/religion_workplace.asp
As an atheist, I suggest you learn to respect other’s beliefs as you would wish them to respect your non-belief. You’ll be happier for it.
I appreciate that. As a Christian I can state.
1. Christmas is has turned into a commercial gimmick.
2. Christmas did not start off as a Christian holiday.
Still it is a religious freedom so yes it does have to be recognized.
In reality if anyone isn’t entitled to this day off it’s Derek R.
Whether anyone likes it or not it is viewed as a religious holiday. Just because “everyone” gets the day off doesn’t just change that.
How does that burn feel Derek?
Yes it is infact a federal Holiday therefore they have to pay overtime by labor laws
http://www.opm.gov/Operating_Status_Schedules/fedhol/2012.asp
I stand corrected they are not required to pay overtime pay on Federal Holidays,,but they cant require someone to work it
http://www.dol.gov/dol/topic/wages/overtimepay.htm#.UM_qWOTAe0c
Just in case anyone is not clear on this… Christianity (and all of it’s various sub-flavors; minus LDS), is pretty much the only religion on the planet that has no required holy days where Christians are forbidden from working. Christmas, and Easter are considered days of celebration, not days where you are forbidden from working. You can say the Sabbath, but if you recall, that is an old Testament holy day. If you claim to be a Christian, that means that you follow the teachings of Christ, or “the New Law.” I defy anyone to find in the Bible where it says we must celebrate the “anniversary” of Christ’s birth. And yes, that’s in quotations for a reason. No one knows when Jesus was born, but the clues in the Bible indicate it was sometime in the mid-to-late spring.
Adam and Cj: I suggest you re-read that article. An employer only has to accommodate a religious belief if it does not cause them an “undue hardship,” where the employer simply has to show that it would cost them more than normal administrative costs to accommodate such a belief or practice.
All that being said, Christmas is a federal holiday, which is usually granted to people so that they can spend time with their families, and celebrate as they see fit if they have a religious affiliation.
Unionize everywhere for living wages and healthcare
Once again, progressives manage to lose a fight before the first shot is fired by poor word selection. Joe Average is going to read this, and say “people should only get overtime pay if they work overtime.” What you mean is “holiday pay,” which is customarily time and a half, just like overtime pay. Words matter, and you can win or lose an argument entirely by how you’ve framed it.
Dan, why would you assume that those disgusted are progressives? It must be because those above expect all people to be treated with a certain level of decency during the holidays, even at a fast food restaurant. Also, to assume that due to poor word choice an argument is lost, and then to assign said loss of argument as being indicative of being a progressive, is ignorant unto itself.
Everything doesn’t need to become a partisan issue. The issue here is that people are being treated indecently by being expected to work on the one federal holiday that no one should be expected to work without additional compensation.
Not particularly fond of McGreed this holiday season? Call the McDonald’s corporate hotline and tell them that no one should be making fries on Christmas Day, especially not without overtime pay. Call 1-800-244-6227 and say “feedback” to reach a live representative. Also please post on their facebook. Happy Holidays to all!