McDonald's Decries Webster Over 'McJob'
57 minutes ago




CHICAGO - McDonald's says it deserves a break from the unflattering way the latest Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary depicts its job opportunities. Among some 10,000 new additions to an updated version released in June was the term "McJob," defined as "low paying and dead-end work."

 

In an open letter to Merriam-Webster, McDonald's CEO Jim Cantalupo said the term is "an inaccurate description of restaurant employment" and "a slap in the face to the 12 million men and women" who work in the restaurant industry.


The company e-mailed the letter to media organizations Friday, and it also was published in the Nov. 3 edition of an industry trade publication.


Cantalupo also wrote that "more than 1,000 of the men and women who own and operate McDonald's restaurants today got their start by serving customers behind the counter."


McDonald's, the world's largest restaurant chain, has more than 30,000 restaurants and more than 400,000 employees.


Walt Riker, a spokesman for McDonald's, said the Oak Brook, Ill.-based fast-food giant also is concerned that "McJob" closely resembles McJOBS, the company's training program for mentally and physically challenged people.


"McJOBS is trademarked and we've notified them that legally that's an issue for us as well," Riker said.


A message left at Merriam-Webster's headquarters in Springfield, Mass., was not immediately returned Friday evening.
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Grrrrrrrrr............I have something to say about this article, but I don't have much time right now. In a nutshell, there is no such thing as a "dead-end job." Is it a peculiarly American notion that there is? How come immigrants from Sri Lanka, Nigeria, India, Honduras etc.- where there are virtually no jobs that pay a living wage- come to the US all the time? They arrive illegally here, take any employment available, work hard, and become successful businesspeople. This is the American dream. There is so much opportunity here. It makes me so angry when people ridicule honest work. I can't believe that "McJob" was included in a reputable dictionary to begin with, let alone with that definition. Good for Mc Donalds for striking back. Here is the crux of the article as far as I am concerned:

"more than 1,000 of the men and women who own and operate McDonald's restaurants today got their start by serving customers behind the counter."

Not everything in life revolves around money, but money does offer some degree of security in our culture. Anyone owning a Mc Donald's franchise is doing pretty damned well financially. Does Merriam- Webster have "cash cow" in their latest edition? -- XXOO Tanya