It's all very well having high and mighty principles, but there's a few things here people are overlooking.1. Jamal, Bryan etc have nothing to lose and are therefore not risking much by taking this fight.
2. Most workers in McD's are very short term - by their own choice. Unions will never take hold because there is too much apathy, and too high a turnover.
3. Most crew are satisfied with their jobs. If they aren't, they leave. At that level, one job is pretty much like another. There are very few jobs that don't have their downsides.
4. Most crew are young, and therefore would rather spend their money on going out, getting drunk, than a union subscription. There is no instant gratification, and the results would take too long. Or because they are young they would believe all the promises a union would make - even worse !
5. Unions would turn the workplace into a real "them and us" situation.
Teamwork between crew and managers would vanish, because there would be a lack of trust. It would be like walking on eggshells ! Crew could be discouraged by their peers from becoming one of "them" and aiming for promotion.
There is no simple answer. Unions in the UK in the past crippled industry. Their demands were unreasonable, they held the country to ransom. Right now London Underground are striking. Do you think this wins them support ? No. Just millions of pissed off commuters having to walk to work in the rain, who couldn't give a shit about anyone else's problems because they have enough of their own. At the end of the day, the world has changed and people unfortunately tend to look out for numero uno. It is very hard to whip up massive support for something like this. Remember, this is the "me" generation you are dealing with.
