Not Lovin’ It
The Part-time Workers’ Union and the Youth Community Union held a press conference in front of the Shinchon branch of McDonald’s on May 15 to commemorate International Fast Food Workers’ Day.
There they criticized McDonald’s for high-intensity labor at extremely low wages. “The owners of the affiliates have tampered with employee work hours while refusing to pay overtime so as to cut labor costs,” they said, adding, “Besides, the intensity of labor has increased due to the flexible schedule that drove many workers to quit. and they cannot take a rest even when no customers are in the store, because they have to sweep the floor and tables and prepare more food.”
The unions also announced that fast food-serving workers around the world staged rallies on that day at McDonald’s stores in 150 cities in 35 countries. “Those in the United States went on strike, demanding unionization and an increase in minimum wage to US$15 per hour,” they continued.