Picture this: You’re pulling up to a McDonald’s, and as you make your way through the seemingly never-ending drive thru line, salivating in anticipation for a greasy, processed and probably part-plastic double cheeseburger, your eyes meet the boldly colored, 6-foot high and 4-foot wide sign in the window; you are greeted by the surprise: the McRib is back.
Now put yourself in this situation: you’ve worked for a McDonald’s franchise for about one year. The economy has you watching every cent you spend. It’s coming time for that annual pay raise and the holiday bonus check you’ve been counting on. When you open your paycheck, you are met with an unexpected surprise.
Enclosed is a letter that reads: “As the election season is here, we wanted you to know which candidates will help our business grow in the future […] If the right people are elected we will be able to continue with raises and benefits at or above our present levels. If others are elected we will not.”
This was a reality for several Northeast Ohio McDonald’s employees. The unsigned letter from Paul Siegfried, owner of various McDonald’s franchises in Canton, Ohio was inserted into his employees’ paychecks along with Republican propaganda — I mean campaign pamphlets. The letter, featuring McDonald’s official logo and letterhead, concluded by listing three Republican candidates that Siegfried feels, if elected, “will help his business grow.”
"The handbill endorses candidates who have in essence pledged to roll back the minimum wage and eviscerate the safety net that protects the most vulnerable members of our workforce," said Allen Schulman of the Canton law firm Schulman, Zimmerman & Associates, which received the documents from an unnamed employee of Siegfried. The letter names Republicans John Kasich for governor, Rob Portman for Senate, and Jim Renacci for Congress.
Dan Tokaji, of The Ohio State University Law School's election law project, as quoted by Sabrina Eaton of Cleveland’s The Plain Dealer “Siegfried's communication appears to violate a state law that bans companies from distributing handbills that threaten workplace repercussions if particular candidates aren't elected.”
OK, so we get that this was poor judgment of one franchise owner and not the position of Ronald McDonald himself, but McDonald’s should at least do something about it.
In a statement made to The Huffington Post, Shirley Rogers Reece, general manager of McDonald's Ohio region, says, “McDonald's had no knowledge of this material being distributed. As independent business owners, our franchisees are responsible for matters regarding their own employees. The content of this material is not reflective of McDonald's position.”
Rogers Reece finished with, “That said, while clearly this was poor judgment, we don't believe it was intended to offend anyone."
Really? Not even a slap on the wrist from the corporation? This guy, using his “position of authority” to threaten his subordinates isn’t even confident enough in his own convictions to sign the letter and issues some half-hearted apology, yet he’s still flipping burgers? How is this not as condemnable as the perverted manager always eyeing the underage cashier or the unfortunate single-mother who missed the bus and was fired for showing up late to a shift?
Paul Siegfried should have lost his franchises or at the very least until state officials and legislators determine the legality of his actions.
This story inherently says much about the American political system. Democrats and Republicans are consistently trying to one up each other in their television ads, yard-signs and political campaigns. For every Paul Siegfried in America, there is a die-hard Democrat who would do something equally unethical to get his message across.
Call Ben a dandy liberal or make deals to trade McDonald’s Monopoly game-pieces at bkarris@asu.edu
