In honor of International Women's Day, McDonald's
flipped its famous golden arches upside down creating a large "W" — you know, for "women" — at certain locations and on the corporation's various social media icons. That's right,
instead of addressing concerns about equal pay and workplace sexual harassment, issues affecting working women, McDonald's gave them a cheap PR campaign.Women need improved working conditions, not symbolic gestures. Please sign this petition telling McDonald's to make real change for women.Company spokesperson Lauren Altmin said, "We have a long history of supporting women in the workplace, giving them the opportunity to grow and succeed." However, plenty of reports paint a much different picture.
McDonald's is notorious for paying its workers extremely low wages, with most employees making less than $10 an hour. Since
women make up nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers in the United States, corporations that pay poverty level wages are ensuring that women do not have the opportunity to grow and succeed, especially if they have families to support. On top of that, McDonald's does not even offer family leave, putting pregnant women in an impossible situation.
McDonald's has also failed to protect and empower women workers by ignoring multiple sexual harassment claims. Allegations include groping, propositioning, and lewd comments by male coworkers and superiors.
Women need fair wages, safe working conditions, and paid family leave — not a giant "W" on top of a restaurant chain. Sign now and tell McDonald's to commit to making real changes for women now!