A Dutch court has ruled against McDonald’s and found that the company was wrong to fire an employee who simply gave a colleague an extra piece cheese on her hamburger. She had paid for a hamburger and McDonald’s viewed the gesture as a violation of company policy against gifts.
The court noted that it might have been a bit more appropriate to simply give the employee a reprimand rather than a termination. Now, the company will pay 4,265.47 euros for lost wages. That’s a lot cheese. In addition, the company will pay court costs.
The question is why the supervisor was not fired. Not only did he or she succeed in losing thousands of dollars over a slice of cheese, but created an international flood of bad press for McDonald’s.
For the full story, click here.
From the article provided by the Professor;
“A written warning would have been a more appropriate punishment, said the court, which ordered the fast-food chain to pay the worker the salary for the remaining five months of her contract”.
“The remaining 5 months of her contract”. That may be the reason the court arrived at the decision they did. The contract may have specified actions which would result in termination. Maybe theft was not spelled out, or the contract may have specified that a warning would be served.
If a court in the United States found that a business could not terminate an employee for theft (unless a contract provided a legal loophole), I think we would have civil unrest.
Duh:
“Has bdaman even weighed-in on the SCOTUS decision about campaign limits?”
Only to say “baby it’s cold outside”
Giving vast, incredibly wealthy, soulless GOVERNMENT a level of power greater than the ordinary citizen or group of citizens as well as (and through) an unbridled voice in the public policy debate is to create a monster of such gravity that it can crush anyone in it’s sphere of influence.
It already can and does.
lottakatz,
As I have ponted out on the other thread, I think corporations are not going to be as big of a problem as most here believe. They will continue to lobby (which I have a problem with), but I don’t think you’re going to find them running ads with PAID FOR BY GENERAL ELECTRIC at the end. I think the screams about the world as we know it ending, are really much ado about nothing.
I don’t think the shareholders are going to chance the potential fallout.
How come the word “Unions” is left out of the comments? Why only mention corporations? You do know that the UAW spent 3 million on ads in three states in the 2008 elections; don’t you? Where were the screams about more influence than the individual then?
Has bdaman even weighed-in on the SCOTUS decision about campaign limits?
Duh:
I say free cheese for the mouses er masses and man the barricades er barristers.
property rights are very basic to a free society, the single piece of cheese is not the point. But property rights are.
The employee should probably have been reprimanded, but there is a good deal of theft in the fast food business. And where do you draw the line? Personally if I was the manager I don’t think I would have made a big deal about it and just given a quiet warning.
But theft is theft and certainly the recipient of said single slice American was not starving.
If you don’t have people like Ray Kroc where will jobs come from? Even government jobs come from people like Ray Kroc. The tax money first has to be created in the private sector by the Ray Krocs and Bill Gatess of the world.
Although James Madison does say about inventions that the reason for a limited time for a patent is that someone would have thought about it at some point. So I guess that is a point. But not really because there are only 4 national hamburger chains-Wendys, Burger King, McDonalds, Hardees. So maybe not everyone can just go out and create a McDonalds and employ a bunch of people and pay a bunch of taxes and create a bunch of wealth for a bunch of people.
Even under a Marxist economy, production is in the hands of the proletariat not the government. So even Marx acknowledges the need for a private sector economy, only it is owned by the workers and not government or capitalists. Hmmmmmm, that sounds suspiciously like capitalism. Although Marx does want to kill the bourgeois whereas capitalists want to kill Marxists. So all in all I guess it’s fair.
Duh, “lottakatz, I seems that you must also think that bdaman and I are one in the same.”
**
No, I don’t, and as long as postings are civil I wouldn’t care if you were posting under more than one name. I don’t care how many virtual persona’s a poster has unless they hijack someone else’s persona, that’s out of bounds.
I mentioned Bdaman because you and he seem to share many of the same views regarding the virtue of power being invested in corporations or conversely, restraints being removed from them, though you seem more hard-line and absolutist than he is. I’m surprised he hasn’t weighed in on this thread yet.
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“I would have thought that you were smarter than that.”
**
LOL, I’m a freak’n stealth genius, I guess you just missed it. 🙂
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“Your point being? What are you trying to say?”
**
Giving vast, incredibly wealthy, soulless corporations a level of power greater than the ordinary citizen or group of citizens as well as (and through) an unbridled voice in the public policy debate is to create a monster of such gravity that it can crush anyone in it’s sphere of influence. SCOTUS has created a veritable power singularity with its latest decision.
“tomorrow I’m going to ask for a cheeseburger with extra cheese and see what happens”
Why don’t you just steal it? Why not demand it?
“This tells you how poorly many hourly workers are treated.”
Boo-Hoo. Ask me for it, and I’ll probably give it to you. Steal it from me, and you’ll be looking for a new job.
A little FYI for the bleeding hearts:
The same woman has cut my hair for the last 15 years. Last weekend when I went in for a cut, she told me her computer was acting up. Yesterday afternoon I went over to her place to fix it. Pro Bono. She lives in a mobile home with her 14 yo daughter. While I was there, I noticed that the front door would not close. Today, I went over to her place, removed the door, planed it, and put a coat of primer on it. Now she much better control her heating cost, and she can lock her door to keep her daughter and herself safe. I didn’t do this because she asked, or with some alterior motive. I did it because it was the right thing to do.
Now go ahead and tell me what a bad SOB I am.
Duh (whomever)
“Since when is theft not a good reason to terminate an employee?”
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Court’s message was right on target … the burger had been paid for … extra ketchup, extra mustard, extra pickle, extra cheese … if one asks for any or all is one threatening theft at McDonalds … how about extra cream in one’s coffee or two straws for one’s soda?
I occasionally buy coffee at McDonalds but tomorrow I’m going to ask for a cheeseburger with extra cheese and see what happens. If the cops come, I’ll be posting from my city’s jail.
If one eats in the executive dining room or on an expense account they can eat whatever they want.
This tells you how poorly many hourly workers are treated.
“I am glad you are not my employer Duh.”
Does your current employer permit theft in the workplace?
Good for the Dutch courts. They value their citizens more than they do American corporations. I am glad you are not my employer Duh.
LottaK,
I understand.
“Practicing economic capital punishment on a worker for doling out an extra piece of cheese is OK?”
Is theft tolerated where you work? While I wouldn’t begrudge an employee a free piece of cheese for their burger, I find it incredible that a court would tell any business that they MUST tolerate such.
“This should tell the advocates of unbridled capitalism and corporations having free speech through their political contributions just who they’re getting in bed with.”
Your point being? What are you trying to say?
“I hope your a light sleeper Duh, (and Bdaman), you don’t want a bed-mate that big and insensitive rolling over on you.”
lottakatz, I would have thought that you were smarter than that. I seems that you must also think that bdaman and I are one in the same.
This story brings to mind the orphanage supper interlude in Oliver Twist, Oliver asking for more gruel ‘Please, sir, I want some more’ and being threatened (if not actually whacked) for his impudence.
Practicing economic capital punishment on a worker for doling out an extra piece of cheese is OK? This should tell the advocates of unbridled capitalism and corporations having free speech through their political contributions just who they’re getting in bed with. I hope your a light sleeper Duh, (and Bdaman), you don’t want a bed-mate that big and insensitive rolling over on you.
justin “Do McDonalds employees really not get a free lunch? I feel like the American McDonalds employees are downing a McChicken an hour.”
I had a friend that worked for McDonalds a few years (3) ago and they were getting free lunches subject to a maximum $ value. It may be a ‘benefit’ subject to local managerial decisions though.
Since when is theft not a good reason to terminate an employee?
I’ll agree that the loss was negligible, but the court’s decision sets the wrong precedent and sends the wrong message?
Do McDonalds employees really not get a free lunch? I feel like the American McDonalds employees are downing a McChicken an hour.
4,265.47 EUR = 5,989.12 USD
Euro United States Dollars
1 EUR = 1.40409 USD 1 USD = 0.712203 EUR
That is some bad cheese. But then again, the dutch do make some rank smelling cheese.
However, it is the muchie capitol of the world. Although not legally legal canabis/weed/gunch/smoke/demonmaker is still illegal.