Day 144 - 28 Jun 95 - Page 25

     
     1   Q.   But they have to wear some kind of uniform that is ---
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Obviously, McDonald's.
     4
     5   MS. STEEL:  -- acceptable to the Corporation?
     6        A.  Yes, my Lord.  When you say "obviously", my Lord, it
     7        may have a little emblem on it; it may not be big letters
     8        across, but it would have usually some indication of
     9        McDonald's.
    10
    11   Q.   The uniform has to be acceptable to the Corporation?
    12        A.  It needs to be approved, yes, but those approvals are
    13        readily given.  There is no one standard uniform.  There
    14        have been many different contests, many different requests,
    15        and I do not know of a single refusal to approve something
    16        that a particular store or employees wanted as long it is
    17        within the realm of good taste and has some McDonald's
    18        identification.
    19
    20   Q.   In the US are crew allowed to wear badges sporting their
         political beliefs?
    22        A.  Political beliefs?
    23
    24   Q.   Yes.
    25        A.  No.  There usually are -- there can be badges for
    26        promotional things, there are sometimes in that kind of
    27        context but generally not for political beliefs.
    28
    29   Q.   Why is that?
    30        A.  We do not want anything interfering with uniform or
    31        with the employee.  Generally speaking, we try to restrict
    32        when badges are worn, so that they be the right badges.  A
    33        person with the wrong kind of badge, or just indiscriminate
    34        uses of badges, people can cut themselves, it can get in
    35        the way of the food.  So, we do try to recommend that
    36        badges be used discreetly.  There is no precise rule on
    37        it.  Strictly, they should be used discreetly and generally
    38        connected to some business reason.
    39
    40   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I would have thought there was every good
         reason because -- maybe this has nothing to do with it --
    42        if you wear a badge supporting some democratic candidate in
    43        a local election, you are going to have a few republic
    44        customers who do not think too much of that; the same if
    45        one wore a republican badge?
    46        A.  That is another reason, my Lord.
    47
    48   Q.   Although that may be the most obvious demonstration of it,
    49        it is very difficult to draw a line anywhere so it is
    50        easier to say none at all. 
    51 
    52   MS. STEEL:  I did mean political in a wider context than just 
    53        party political.
    54
    55   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, that is why I started with something
    56        straightforward, but since it is very difficult to know
    57        where to draw a line on that, whether it is "P" or "p",
    58        political, I could understand very good reasons for saying
    59        none at all which might be interpreted as being political
    60        anyway.