People Power! Nearly 300,000 Sign McDonald’s Pay Petition

To give you an idea of how social media is changing the corporate landscape and putting more power into the hands of employees, shareholders and customers, nearly 300,000 people have signed a petition started by Natalie Gunshannon, a former McDonald’s employee who quit her job there after being forced to accept her pay on a fee-heavy debit card. The petition on Change.org calls on Don Thompson, McDonald’s CEO, to give employees a choice in how they receive their pay. No word yet on whether McDonald’s will alter the practice, but the publicity this effort has already generated certainly hasn’t helped the company’s image. “I own stock in this company because it had started to make more socially and environmentally responsible decisions,” notes one shareholder. “I am sad to hear that it has taken a step back with this decision. Nobody’s paycheck should come with hidden fees.” While representatives for McDonald’s have indicated that decisions about payment are left to franchisee owners, the petition calls on McDonald’s national decision makers to ensure that McDonald’s is a “leader nationwide in ensuring that employees get to keep their own wages.” Stay tuned