McDonald's will ban journalists from attending its annual shareholder meeting, where Fight for $15 demonstrations are expected to occur. (Photo: Mark Dixon/flickr/cc)
May 18, 2015
With thousands of workers planning to descend on McDonald's annual shareholder meeting on May 21 to demand higher wages and fairer treatment, the fast food giant has announced it will ban all media from the corporate event--a move that union leaders called "extremely shocking and troubling."
"We can't think of a single other company who has dared to ban the press from an annual meeting," the AFL-CIO told the Guardian on Monday. "What does the company have to hide?"
"We call on McDonald's to reverse their decision and allow the media," Vineeta Anand, the AFL-CIO chief investment research analyst, told the Guardian. "Sunshine is the best disinfectant, when you shine a light on a company it changes their behaviour. They are acting like some sort of secret society."
"McDonald's is not an insignificant company, they are one of the nation's best-known household names and it is extremely shocking and troubling that a company of its size would ban the press," Anand added.
Reporters will only be able to watch the event via livestream. The company has previously banned media from its shareholder meetings, but this year's decision is unusual because it was ordered by McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook, who has previously said he wants to reshape the corporation into a "modern, progressive burger company."
A McDonald's spokesperson, Heidi Baker, said the move was not done as a response to the upcoming Fight for $15 demonstrations, but to "accommodate our valued shareholders."
Yet when contacted for comment, many of those shareholders responded to that excuse with a resounding, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Timothy Smith, director of governance and shareholder engagement at Walden Asset Management, which holds $21m of McDonald's shares, told the Guardian, "Since McDonald's proudly declares it believes it must be accountable to consumers, employees and the public as well as shareholders, it is surprising that they wish to hold their annual meeting in secret without press allowed to observe."
As Common Dreams has previously reported, workers have planned for weeks to converge at the shareholder meeting and call on McDonald's to reform its exploitative policies.
"We may not have a seat in the room, but we're sure that McDonald's will hear us when we say that its turnaround needs to include investment in and respect for its employees," Adriana Alvarez, who has worked at McDonald's for five years and was one of 101 workers arrested at a peaceful sit-in at last year's shareholder meeting, said earlier this month.
Rev. Dwayne Grant, pastor at Greater Englewood United Methodist Church in Chicago, added, "We need to put an end to corporations raking in billions while their employees are forced to skip meals. We are fighting to build a country where people who work hard are paid enough to survive."
Why Your Ongoing Support Is Essential
Donald Trump’s attacks on democracy, justice, and a free press are escalating — putting everything we stand for at risk. We believe a better world is possible, but we can’t get there without your support. Common Dreams stands apart. We answer only to you — our readers, activists, and changemakers — not to billionaires or corporations. Our independence allows us to cover the vital stories that others won’t, spotlighting movements for peace, equality, and human rights. Right now, our work faces unprecedented challenges. Misinformation is spreading, journalists are under attack, and financial pressures are mounting. As a reader-supported, nonprofit newsroom, your support is crucial to keep this journalism alive. Whatever you can give — $10, $25, or $100 — helps us stay strong and responsive when the world needs us most. Together, we’ll continue to build the independent, courageous journalism our movement relies on. Thank you for being part of this community. |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
With thousands of workers planning to descend on McDonald's annual shareholder meeting on May 21 to demand higher wages and fairer treatment, the fast food giant has announced it will ban all media from the corporate event--a move that union leaders called "extremely shocking and troubling."
"We can't think of a single other company who has dared to ban the press from an annual meeting," the AFL-CIO told the Guardian on Monday. "What does the company have to hide?"
"We call on McDonald's to reverse their decision and allow the media," Vineeta Anand, the AFL-CIO chief investment research analyst, told the Guardian. "Sunshine is the best disinfectant, when you shine a light on a company it changes their behaviour. They are acting like some sort of secret society."
"McDonald's is not an insignificant company, they are one of the nation's best-known household names and it is extremely shocking and troubling that a company of its size would ban the press," Anand added.
Reporters will only be able to watch the event via livestream. The company has previously banned media from its shareholder meetings, but this year's decision is unusual because it was ordered by McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook, who has previously said he wants to reshape the corporation into a "modern, progressive burger company."
A McDonald's spokesperson, Heidi Baker, said the move was not done as a response to the upcoming Fight for $15 demonstrations, but to "accommodate our valued shareholders."
Yet when contacted for comment, many of those shareholders responded to that excuse with a resounding, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Timothy Smith, director of governance and shareholder engagement at Walden Asset Management, which holds $21m of McDonald's shares, told the Guardian, "Since McDonald's proudly declares it believes it must be accountable to consumers, employees and the public as well as shareholders, it is surprising that they wish to hold their annual meeting in secret without press allowed to observe."
As Common Dreams has previously reported, workers have planned for weeks to converge at the shareholder meeting and call on McDonald's to reform its exploitative policies.
"We may not have a seat in the room, but we're sure that McDonald's will hear us when we say that its turnaround needs to include investment in and respect for its employees," Adriana Alvarez, who has worked at McDonald's for five years and was one of 101 workers arrested at a peaceful sit-in at last year's shareholder meeting, said earlier this month.
Rev. Dwayne Grant, pastor at Greater Englewood United Methodist Church in Chicago, added, "We need to put an end to corporations raking in billions while their employees are forced to skip meals. We are fighting to build a country where people who work hard are paid enough to survive."
Nadia Prupis
Nadia Prupis is a former Common Dreams staff writer. She wrote on media policy for Truthout.org and has been published in New America Media and AlterNet. She graduated from UC Santa Barbara with a BA in English in 2008.
With thousands of workers planning to descend on McDonald's annual shareholder meeting on May 21 to demand higher wages and fairer treatment, the fast food giant has announced it will ban all media from the corporate event--a move that union leaders called "extremely shocking and troubling."
"We can't think of a single other company who has dared to ban the press from an annual meeting," the AFL-CIO told the Guardian on Monday. "What does the company have to hide?"
"We call on McDonald's to reverse their decision and allow the media," Vineeta Anand, the AFL-CIO chief investment research analyst, told the Guardian. "Sunshine is the best disinfectant, when you shine a light on a company it changes their behaviour. They are acting like some sort of secret society."
"McDonald's is not an insignificant company, they are one of the nation's best-known household names and it is extremely shocking and troubling that a company of its size would ban the press," Anand added.
Reporters will only be able to watch the event via livestream. The company has previously banned media from its shareholder meetings, but this year's decision is unusual because it was ordered by McDonald's CEO Steve Easterbrook, who has previously said he wants to reshape the corporation into a "modern, progressive burger company."
A McDonald's spokesperson, Heidi Baker, said the move was not done as a response to the upcoming Fight for $15 demonstrations, but to "accommodate our valued shareholders."
Yet when contacted for comment, many of those shareholders responded to that excuse with a resounding, "Thanks, but no thanks."
Timothy Smith, director of governance and shareholder engagement at Walden Asset Management, which holds $21m of McDonald's shares, told the Guardian, "Since McDonald's proudly declares it believes it must be accountable to consumers, employees and the public as well as shareholders, it is surprising that they wish to hold their annual meeting in secret without press allowed to observe."
As Common Dreams has previously reported, workers have planned for weeks to converge at the shareholder meeting and call on McDonald's to reform its exploitative policies.
"We may not have a seat in the room, but we're sure that McDonald's will hear us when we say that its turnaround needs to include investment in and respect for its employees," Adriana Alvarez, who has worked at McDonald's for five years and was one of 101 workers arrested at a peaceful sit-in at last year's shareholder meeting, said earlier this month.
Rev. Dwayne Grant, pastor at Greater Englewood United Methodist Church in Chicago, added, "We need to put an end to corporations raking in billions while their employees are forced to skip meals. We are fighting to build a country where people who work hard are paid enough to survive."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.