Day 138 - 20 Jun 95 - Page 04

     
     1        A.  None of us have a written contract.
     2
     3   Q.   Do you have a written contract?
     4        A.  Oh, I do not.
     5
     6   Q.   I would like to pass from there, if I may, directly to
     7        unions.  We dealt to some extent with them yesterday,
     8        Mr. Stein.  Would you please state for us, speaking for the
     9        Corporation both in America and overseas, so far as you
    10        have a responsibility for that, what are the Corporation's
    11        policies and attitudes so far as trade unions are
    12        concerned?
    13        A.  OK.  In the United States, if I might begin there, we
    14        are a non-union employer.  That means we have no unions in
    15        the United States.  I think I may have mentioned that
    16        yesterday.
    17
    18   Q.   Yes, you did.
    19        A.  Also one needs to look at that in the context that only
    20        about 13 per cent of the labour force in the United States
         is represented by unions.  In the international area, as
    22        you have described it, we do recognise unions and have
    23        labour agreements in several countries.
    24
    25   Q.   Can you, without my inviting you to say it is exhaustive,
    26        give a list of foreign countries?  By "foreign" I mean
    27        outside the United States where McDonald's has collective
    28        agreements with trade unions?
    29        A.  OK, I will do the best I can.  I do not generally
    30        memorise that.
    31
    32   Q.   No, of course not.
    33        A.  It would be in Germany, Sweden, Denmark, a market in
    34        Australia.
    35
    36   Q.   What about Central America, anywhere there?
    37        A.  Yes, Panama.  God, there is -- I know at least a half
    38        dozen or more, it is hard to recall all of them.
    39
    40   Q.   Perhaps I can help; Argentina?
         A.  Yes.
    42
    43   Q.   Mexico?
    44        A.  Yes, we do for the last 10 years.
    45
    46   Q.   What about other parts of Western Europe, France, Italy,
    47        Spain?
    48        A.  There are labour agreements in Italy.  Spain, there are
    49        agreements with works councils, shop councils.  I believe
    50        the same is true in parts of France, although I do not 
    51        directly handle the French Labour Relations, but that is my 
    52        knowledge level. Iceland would be another one where we have 
    53        an agreement.
    54
    55   Q.   Leave it there for the moment.  That is quite a long list
    56        anyway.  What forms do these agreements take?  Are they
    57        always direct agreements between the Company and the union?
    58        A.  Some would be direct agreements for, and I am not sure
    59        of the interpretation of "direct agreements".  For example,
    60        in Germany for the last seven or eight years we formed a