To: Ronald McDoland
Tell Ronald McDonald (AGAIN): Please stop hurting workers!
I haven’t gone to McDonald’s since last October, when I learned that Ronald was stealing workers’ wages. I miss my Happy Meals and would really like one soon, but my godmother just told me that the workers are still not getting paid fairly. I also learned that many workers get burned when they’re making our fries. That’s not right. I want to ask McDonald’s (AGAIN!) to please stop hurting workers. Will you join me again? Maybe you can ask your friends to join, too.
Why is this important?
My name is Ian Swanson. If you signed my letter to Ronald McDonald last year, THANK YOU SO MUCH! If you didn’t, thank you for reading this message now and for considering to join me this time.
Last year, I got very upset when I heard that McDonald's and many other fast food companies were stealing from workers by not paying them for the work they do. My parents taught me to share and never take what does not belong to me. I really didn’t like it that Ronald was not being fair to workers. So, my grown-up friends helped me write a letter to Ronald. More than 1,500 signed my letter — I was so glad to see that many other people were just as upset as I was.
This week, my godmother told me that the workers are still not being paid right AND that many of them get hurt or burned while making our fries. That’s really bad…and I can’t have a Happy Meal when I know that the people who make them are getting injured and being mistreated.
Again, I want to help the McDonald’s workers, but I am just a kid and sometimes I need an adult to help me do things. I want to ask McDonald’s to stop hurting workers by not paying them fairly and not giving them the help they need when they’re hurt. Will you join me?
*Ian is a fifth-grader from Chicago. To learn more about the struggles of fast food workers and ways to support them, visit www.iwj.org*