McDonald's sues former CEO for lying about sexual relationships

Yahoo – AFP, DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS, August 10, 2020

McDonald's said former CEO Steve Easterbrook "destroyed information
regarding inappropriate personal behavior"

Fast-food giant McDonald's announced on Monday it is suing former CEO Steve Easterbrook for lying about allegedly inappropriate sexual relationships with employees.

Easterbrook was dismissed in November 2019 over his "poor judgment" in engaging in a consensual relationship with a member of staff in violation of company policy.

McDonald's said it had subsequently learned that Easterbrook lied "and destroyed information regarding inappropriate personal behavior" and relationships with three other employees, as well as providing stock worth hundreds of thousands of dollars to one of the employees.

The chain is seeking to recover compensation and severance benefits paid to the executive under the terms of his departure last year, according to a securities filing.

The lawsuit, which alleges that Easterbrook committed fraud by misleading the company over the separation agreement, has been filed in a state court in Delaware.

"(He) was knowingly untruthful with McDonald's investigators," says the complaint.

Easterbrook's separation agreement included six months' severance pay, plus stock options.

Steve Easterbrook, pictured here in July 2016, was CEO at McDonald's from
March 2015 to November 2019

US media reports have estimated his exit package at around $40 million.

In 2018, Easterbrook's base pay was $1.3 million and his total compensation including bonus and stock options was $15.9 million.

He was replaced by Chris Kempczinski, who joined McDonald's in October 2015 after working in a senior strategic role at Kraft Foods and previously at PepsiCo.

One day after Easterbrook's departure, McDonald's announced that its top human resources executive, David Fairhurst, who joined McDonald's in 2005 and was named chief people officer at the restaurant chain in 2015, had also left.

In May, an international group of labor unions filed a complaint against McDonald's for what it called systematic sexual harassment at the fast food chain's restaurants around the world.

The complaint, filed with the Dutch national contact point for the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), was the first of its kind to target a multinational company, the International Union of Foodworkers said.

The document cites witness testimony of "attempted rape, indecent exposure, groping, and sexual offers."

McDonald's said at the time it would review the complaint, stressing that the food giant was a "people-first company."

Chileans go on strike as protest death toll hits 18

Yahoo – AFP, Miguel SANCHEZ, October 23, 2019

Riot police use water cannons on demonstrators in Santiago, on the sixth straight
day of street violence in Chile, which has left at least 18 people dead (AFP Photo/
Javier TORRES)

Santiago (AFP) - Thousands of Chileans flooded the streets of Santiago and other cities Wednesday on day one of a general strike, upping the pressure on President Sebastien Pinera after days of social unrest that have left at least 18 dead.

Students, professors and state workers walked off the job at the urging of the country's largest union, ignoring a package of measures announced by Pinera aimed at quelling the violence.

"THE STRIKE IS ON! We say it loud and clear: enough of the increases and abuses," said the Workers' United Center of Chile (CUT), which organized the two-day action with about 20 other groups.

In the capital Santiago, police used water cannons to dispel protesters.

"Chile has awakened," read the sign of one protester.

The country, usually one of the most stable in Latin America, has experienced its worst violence in decades since protests against a now-scrapped hike in metro fares escalated dramatically on Friday.

Demonstrators have decried social and economic woes, including a yawning gap between rich and poor.

A demonstrator in Santiago holds a sign reading 'Chile has awakened' (AFP Photo/

Martin BERNETTI)

A four-year-child and a man were killed in the latest protests when a drunk driver rammed into a crowd of demonstrators, Interior Undersecretary Rodrigo Ubilla said.

A third person died after being beaten by police, according to the victim's family.

In an address to the nation late Tuesday, Pinera apologized for failing to anticipate the outbreak of social unrest.

"I recognize this lack of vision," Pinera said after a meeting with some of Chile's opposition leaders.

Beyond the dead, another 269 people have been injured and about 1,900 have been arrested, according to the National Institute for Human Rights (INDH).

Pinera's proposals

Having initially taken a confrontational line -- declaring that Chile was "at war against a powerful, implacable enemy," and imposing a state of emergency in Santiago and most of Chile's 16 regions -- Pinera has rapidly changed tack and sought cross-party support to find a solution.

He says he will increase the universal basic pension by 20 percent, cancel a recent 9.2 percent increase in electricity bills and propose a law that would see the state cover the costs of expensive medical treatment.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera apologized in an address to the nation for 

failing to anticipate the outbreak of social unrest (AFP Photo/HO)

He also pledged a state subsidy to increase the minimum wage from 301,000 to 350,000 pesos ($482) a month and said the government would introduce health insurance for medication, which is among the most expensive in the region.

Chileans were unconvinced by the promises.

"I don't think that what Pinera said is all that useful," said 38-year-old Karla Araneda, who works near the seat of government.

"Today, even more people are going to be in the streets and the problems are going to continue."

After widespread scenes of violence, destruction, arson and looting last week, protests have become more peaceful this week, particularly in Santiago.

But it's the worst violence to hit Chile since the country returned to democracy after the 1973-1990 right-wing dictatorship led by General Augusto Pinochet.

Some 20,000 police and troops have been deployed while a nighttime curfew was announced on each of the last four days.

After widespread scenes of violence, destruction, arson and looting last week, 

protests have become more peaceful this week, particularly in Santiago (AFP Photo/

Martin BERNETTI )

Strike organizers issued a statement demanding that the government end the state of emergency and send troops back to their barracks.

The country's powerful copper mine workers' unions have joined the strike movement.

Chile is the largest producer of copper in the world, much of which is sold to China.

But despite 2.5 percent growth, ordinary Chileans are deeply unhappy about low salaries and pensions, as well as health and education systems that are unaffordable for most.

"Pinera has always been a liar and now... he is asking for forgiveness," said 23-year-old Carlos Morales.

Another resident, Ximena Gutierrez, told AFP: "We will not be silent."

Before Pinera's announcement, one of Chile's largest conglomerates, Quinenco, promised to increase its minimum salaries to 500,000 pesos a month from January 1 -- 60 percent more than the current minimum wage.

Map of Latin America showing countries where major protests 

have occurred in recent months (AFP Photo)

Chile's big business conglomerates are one of the major factors in the huge wealth disparity that has angered protesters.

Nine dead in fires

The strike will put Santiago to the test. Life in the capital has been returning to normal, with three of seven metro lines due to be open Wednesday and buses back on the road.

More than half of Santiago's 136 metro stations suffered heavy damage during last week's protests and remained guarded by soldiers.

Shops and businesses -- even banks -- appeared to be reopening, but some Santiago-area schools were still closed.

Tens of thousands march in Australia for higher wages

Yahoo - AFP, 10 April 2019

The labor party's union allies say the living standards of Australians have
fallen significantly

Tens of thousands marched for better work conditions and higher wages in Australia Wednesday, bringing the city of Melbourne to a standstill, ahead of national elections in May.

The opposition Labor party wants to make stagnant wages a focus of its election campaign, with its union allies claiming "Australians have seen the largest fall in their living standards in 30 years".

The governing conservative Liberal-National coalition has argued the best way of boosting wages is through company tax cuts.

Many demonstrators wore fluorescent "hi-visibility" workwear and carried banners with "Change the Rules" written on them.

The governing conservative Liberal-National coalition nargues company tax
cuts are the bets way to boost wages

State premier Daniel Andrews said the rally should remind Canberra that Australians are demanding a proper "living wage".

"People are angry. They are out in the streets. They are out in force but they are campaigning for something very simple: 'a fair go'," he told reporters as he joined the mass rally.

City commuters endured a second day of disruption in less than a week, after animal rights activists blocked busy streets Monday during a surprise peak hour demonstration.

Some Labor supporters have argued for a slew of workers to receive higher minimum wages and a cap on the number of foreign workers entering the country.

Ministers, unions condemn ‘greedy’ bank pay rises as ‘wrong signal’

DutchNews.nl, March 20, 2015

Ministers and banking unions on Friday were quick to criticise news that three big Dutch financial services firms have increased the basic pay of senior executives by up to 46%. 

ING and insurance company NN said on Thursday they had put up executive pay by between 28% and 46%. State-owned ABN Amro said on Friday it had increased the pay of six senior staff by €100,000, or around 17%.

The sharp pay rises follow a decision by the government to slap a 20% ceiling on banking sector bonuses. 

While acknowledging the banks had remained within the letter of the law, finance minister Jeroen Dijsselbloem said the increases are ‘sending out the wrong signal’.

‘This is difficult to understand at a time when banks are still recovering, in which the sector is undergoing change and lots of jobs are being lost,’ Dijsselbloem told reporters after the weekly cabinet meeting. 

Social affairs minister Lodewijk Asscher said the rises ‘stuck in his throat’. 

Greedy

Banking union De Unie described the ABN Amro increases as ‘incredibly greedy’.

‘Top bankers first treated us to a system crisis that cost €28bn in taxpayers money for ABN Amro alone,’ said chairman Reinier Castelein. ‘They shamelessly steal from us with excessive mortgage rates and still persist in their old ways of, me, myself and I.’ 

Castelein also criticised Dijsselbloem for his approach. ‘Dijsselbloem, the real boss of ABN Amro, is passively looking on,’ Castelein said.

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"The Recalibration of Awareness – Apr 20/21, 2012 (Kryon channeled by Lee Carroll) (Subjects: Old Energy,Recalibration Lectures, God / Creator, Religions/Spiritual systems (Catholic Church, Priests/Nun’s, Worship, John Paul Pope, Women in the Church otherwise church will go, Current Pope won’t do it), Middle East, Jews, Governments will change (Internet, Media, Democracies, Dictators, North Korea, Nations voted at once), Integrity (Businesses, Tobacco Companies, Bankers/ Financial Institutes, Pharmaceutical company to collapse), Illuminati (Started in Greece, with Shipping, Financial markets, Stock markets, Pharmaceutical money (fund to build Africa, to develop)), Shift of Human Consciousness, (Old) Souls, Women, Masters to/already come back, Global Unity.... etc.) -(Text version)

“… The Shift in Human Nature

You're starting to see integrity change. Awareness recalibrates integrity, and the Human Being who would sit there and take advantage of another Human Being in an old energy would never do it in a new energy. The reason? It will become intuitive, so this is a shift in Human Nature as well, for in the past you have assumed that people take advantage of people first and integrity comes later. That's just ordinary Human nature.

In the past, Human nature expressed within governments worked like this: If you were stronger than the other one, you simply conquered them. If you were strong, it was an invitation to conquer. If you were weak, it was an invitation to be conquered. No one even thought about it. It was the way of things. The bigger you could have your armies, the better they would do when you sent them out to conquer. That's not how you think today. Did you notice?

Any country that thinks this way today will not survive, for humanity has discovered that the world goes far better by putting things together instead of tearing them apart. The new energy puts the weak and strong together in ways that make sense and that have integrity. Take a look at what happened to some of the businesses in this great land (USA). Up to 30 years ago, when you started realizing some of them didn't have integrity, you eliminated them. What happened to the tobacco companies when you realized they were knowingly addicting your children? Today, they still sell their products to less-aware countries, but that will also change.

What did you do a few years ago when you realized that your bankers were actually selling you homes that they knew you couldn't pay for later? They were walking away, smiling greedily, not thinking about the heartbreak that was to follow when a life's dream would be lost. Dear American, you are in a recession. However, this is like when you prune a tree and cut back the branches. When the tree grows back, you've got control and the branches will grow bigger and stronger than they were before, without the greed factor. Then, if you don't like the way it grows back, you'll prune it again! I tell you this because awareness is now in control of big money. It's right before your eyes, what you're doing. But fear often rules. …”

Retail giant Walmart to raise wages for US staff

Yahoo – AFP, John Biers, 19 Feb 2015

The biggest retailer globally, Walmart said the wage and education initiatives would

 affect 500,000 US full- and part-time staff. Salaries will be raised this year, with

another hike coming in 2016 (AFP Photo/Scott Olson)

New York (AFP) - Global retail giant Walmart, which has faced criticism over low salaries and skimpy benefits for years, announced Thursday it would raise wages for 500,000 workers in the US.

The largest private single employer in the United States said salaries for about 40 percent of its US staff would be lifted to at least $9 per hour in April, $1.75 above the federal minimum wage. By February 1, 2016, US staff will be paid at least $10 an hour.

The move follows mounting criticism by labor unions and other groups that the company's low wages have locked workers into poverty and pressured some of them to seek public assistance to make ends meet.

President Barack Obama has also made the issue of low pay and a growing income gap across the country a key focus of his economic policy.

In a video address to employees,

Wal-Mart Stores chief executive

Doug McMillon acknowledged

that "sometimes we don't get it

all right"  (AFP Photo/Alex Wong)

On Thursday, the White House amplified its call for the federal minimum wage, a base level for the whole country, to be raised to $10.10 per hour. The minimum was last raised in 2009.

"Good to see Walmart raising wages for about 500,000 employees. Now it's time for Congress to #RaiseTheWage," the White House tweeted.

In a video address to employees, Wal-Mart Stores chief executive Doug McMillon acknowledged that "sometimes we don't get it all right."

"As a team, we really wanted to demonstrate this year that we really care about you as associates and appreciate the work you do every day," said McMillon.

Last year a coalition of progressive and pro-labor groups, Americans for Tax Fairness, issued a report claiming that the government provides $6.2 billion a year in poverty-based assistance to Walmart workers because of their low wages.

The group also attacked the tax benefits earned by the family which controls Walmart, the Waltons, called the world's wealthiest family by Forbes with a $152 billion fortune.

States enacting wage hikes

The move came as a number of states have increased their minimum wages in recent years to address what economists say is a growing gap between what the average and wealthiest American households earn.

As of January, 29 states plus the District of Columbia have minimum wages above the federal standard, according to the National Conference of State Legislature.

Emily Wells, a member of OUR Walmart, an labor union-backed employee group that seeks higher wages, said she was "proud" their campaign had yielded a raise, but that more is needed.

"Especially without a guarantee of getting regular hours, this announcement still falls short of what American workers need to support our families," said Wells, who works in Florida.

"With $16 billion in profits and $150 billion in wealth for the owners, Walmart can afford to provide the good jobs that Americans need -– and that means $15 an hour, full-time, consistent hours and respect for our hard work."

But the National Retail Federation, a leading trade group, said Walmart's decision reflected the power of the marketplace as it took a swipe at policies such as government mandates to hike wages.

"Like many other retailers, Walmart made its decision based upon what is best for their employees, their customers, their shareholders and the communities in which they operate," it said..

"Government mandates that arbitrarily require businesses to implement politically driven policy are unnecessary and, in fact, create hurdles to job creation, curtail capital investment and pose as barriers to a sustained economic recovery."

McMillon told the network CNBC that Walmart would stay out of the political debate on the minimum wage.

Walmart said increased spending on wages and on a new program to promote employee education would weigh on future profits. The new program will shave 20 cents per share from earnings in fiscal 2016.

Walmart projected fiscal 2015 earnings of $4.70-$5.05 a share compared with the $5.19 expected by analysts.

Morgan Stanley said the company's outlook was disappointing, but that the wage announcement was positive "for how it should enhance morale, attract and retain labor, and lead to better customer engagement."

The wage hike could also prompt competitors to follow suit, which could give lower-income Americans more spending power, eventually feeding back into Walmart results, Morgan Stanley added.

In afternoon Thursday Walmart shares fell 2.9 percent to $83.77.

Alec has urged conservatives to launch populist campaigns against wage increases

 by adopting the mantra that higher pay hurts ordinary Americans. Photograph: 

Seth Perlman/AP

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Protest day for fast-food workers planned for more than 30 countries

Protesters in New York call for higher wages for fast-food 
workers. Photograph: Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Swiss referendum turns down minimum wage and new fighter jets

Swedes test a future of less work, more play

Conundrum of living on under $4,500 a month in pricey Switzerland

Yahoo – AFP, May 15, 2014

Conundrum of living on under $4,500 a month in pricey Switzerland (AFP)

Geneva (AFP) - Surrounded by luxury at the high-end Geneva hotels where she works, Alcina Esteves de Almeida sometimes goes hungry -- her salary not enough to make ends meet in pricy Switzerland.

"I have to give up a lot, and I often can't eat properly," the 52-year-old Portuguese chambermaid told AFP.

While De Almeida's gross monthly salary of 3,400 Swiss francs ($3,840, 2,790 euros) might sound decent, it does not stretch far in the wealthy Alpine nation.

In fact, unions and leftwing parties in Switzerland insist that no one in the country should make do with less than 22 Swiss francs ($25, 18 euros) an hour, or 4,000 francs ($4,515, 3,280 euros) a month.

Their initiative to introduce the world's highest minimum wage will be put to a referendum on Sunday as part of Switzerland's direct democratic system.

A poll last week however hinted that two-thirds of voters in the country, which currently has no obligatory national minimum salary, will say "no".

Opponents, including the government and most of Switzerland's powerful business community, argue that requiring a minimum wage would make it more difficult for young people to enter the workforce and could prove deadly to many businesses.

But De Almeida, a youthful divorcee with a tight ponytail and dark eyes, insists a minimum wage should be established to ensure working people "can live a decent life."

"That is not the case for me currently," she said, sitting on a bench near the highrise on the outskirts of Geneva that she calls home.

After unemployment insurance and other social charges, De Almeida nets 2,800 francs a month, but when she has paid the 1,200 franc rent for her cramped studio, plus taxes, phone bills and a monthly bus pass at 70 francs, there is little left.

On top of that, she dishes out 400 francs a month for health insurance, which kicks in only after her medical expenses pass the 1,500-franc mark.

Reluctant to see a doctor

"I really have trouble living on my salary," she said, noting that she is reluctant to see a doctor, and always considers price over quality when food shopping.

She certainly cannot afford small pleasures like going to the cinema, which in Geneva costs 19 francs a ticket for adults and 14 francs for children.

De Almeida is not alone. One in 10 people working in Switzerland, an estimated 330,000 individuals, make less than 4,000 Swiss francs a month, according to promoters of the "Decent Salary" initiative.

Opponents stress that minimum pay is already written into collective bargaining agreements for many sectors, but the unions maintain that such agreements cover only about half of all workers.

And they point out that most sectors that are heavily dominated by women, such as retail, hotel and restaurant services and call centres, are not covered.

"Emma", a 30-year-old Italian citizen who wished to remain anonymous, said there were no such agreements regulating wages at the watchmaking subcontractor business she had been working at for the past three years as an administrative assistant.

Making 3,600 francs a month before social charges, she said she had no choice but to live with her boyfriend, who helps cover the 2,600-franc rent for her Geneva flat and the 500 francs she pays each month for her daughter's daycare.

"When I go to the supermarket, I can't spend more than 100 francs a week," Emma said.

Giuliana Mion, a 31-year-old Venezuelan chambermaid at a luxury Geneva hotel, said the only way her family could afford to eat meat and fish was by shopping across the border in France, where her 3,400-franc monthly salary stretched much further.

"Mario", a 25-year-old Italian citizen also requesting anonymity testified to the difficulty of making ends meet even when working what most people would consider a good job.

Currently unemployed, he spent three years working as a private business pilot for a Geneva-based company, earning a gross salary of just 2,000 francs per month.

He had lived near the Geneva airport with two colleagues, each paying 700 francs a month in rent.

"At the end of the month, I basically had nothing left," he said, lamenting that saving up for the future, a holiday, or even a new pair of shoes was difficult.

Related Article:

Protest day for fast-food workers planned for more than 30 countries

Protest day for fast-food workers planned for more than 30 countries

• Union representatives gather in New York City

• Protests will call for pay of $15 an hour

theguardian.com, Associated Press in New York, Wednesday 7 May 2014

Protesters in New York call for higher wages for fast-food workers. Photograph:
Andrew Burton/Getty Images

Labour organisers say they are planning another day of fast-food protests next week, with coordinated actions expected in the US and more than 30 countries this time around.

Union representatives from countries including Argentina, Hong Kong, Italy, New Zealand and Panama gathered in New York this week to share tips and strategise for the demonstrations slated to take place on 15 May. Organisers announced the global actions at a news conference outside a McDonald's in New York on Wednesday afternoon.

The protests, calling for pay of $15 an hour in the US, have gained national media attention since they began in New York in late 2012. The push is getting financial and organisational support from the Service Employees International Union – which has more than 2 million members – and has served as an important backdrop as President Barack Obama and Democratic lawmakers seek to raise the federal minimum wage in an election year.

Although the effort to raise the federal minimum wage in Congress seems unlikely to succeed, several states and localities have raised their minimum wages recently.

The federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour was last raised in 2009. That translates to about $15,000 a year, assuming an employee works 40 hours a week.

The protests come at a time when the widening income gap has become a pressing issue. Since 1980, income has grown the most for top earners, while falling for the poorest 20% of families. Advocates for raising the minimum wage say a growing number of people in low-paying jobs are trying to support families.

Fast-food workers have historically been difficult to unionise, because of the high turnover rates in the industry.

Turnouts for the fast-food protests over the past year have varied. In New York, chanting demonstrators led by community leaders and local lawmakers typically flood a fast-food location for about a half hour, temporarily making it impossible for customers to enter the restaurant and place orders. Once the crowd disperses, however, restaurant operations quickly return to normal.

In other cities, demonstrations are often much smaller.

Organisers say many of the protesters are workers who walked off their jobs at places including McDonald's, Burger King and Taco Bell. But such chains typically rely on a large number of part-time workers, in order to avoid paying overtime, meaning they can usually call up other workers to take over. The practice underscores another common grievance in the industry – employees say they never know how many hours of work they'll be given from week to week.

Ron Oswald, general secretary of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers' Associations, said at the two-day meeting in New York that the idea of fast-food workers from around the world collaborating would have been unthinkable 10 years ago.

But, he said: "Fast food workers have had enough.”

Organisers say protests are planned in countries including Japan, Pakistan and South Korea. But the scale of the actions will vary.

Louise Marie Rantzau, a 21-year-old McDonald's worker in Denmark, said she and her colleagues planned to take a photo of themselves holding a banner outside a fast-food restaurant, then post the picture on social media. She said a collective agreement with McDonald's prevents workers from protesting.

Her situation also underscores how fast-food employees work under varying conditions around the world. Rantzau said she earns about $21 an hour because of the collective agreement. Still, she noted that her colleagues often aren't aware of their rights, such as shift breaks and extra pay in certain conditions.

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