It can't be easy chairing the boards of two major corporations such as McDonald's and Schwarz Supply Source like Andrew J. McKenna, Sr does.
Today, McKenna should be concerned about his board members' reaction to McDonald's being hit with two major PR embarrassments in one day: one was McDonald's franchisee pleading guilty to helping illegal immigrants obtain false Social Security numbers; and the other is several national family groups launching a boycott against McDonald's for giving $20,000 in corporate donations to a radical pro-homosexual rights coalition.
The McDonald's Reno story is alarming:
A plea agreement entered in a U.S. District Court in Las Vegas details how management for Reno-based Mack Associates knowingly employed illegal immigrants by furnishing them with names and Social Security numbers that belonged to U.S. citizens or legal residents.
The high-profile case shines the spotlight on Oak Brook-based McDonald's Corp., which tried to distance itself from the matter.
But the McDonald's boycott story and its lack of Chicago-area media coverage is troubling:
When McDonald's wrote a check for $20,000 to join a gay and lesbian coalition that promotes same sex marriage, they probably had no idea family groups would react one way or another. One of McDonald's executives serves on the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, the recipient of those controversial corporate dollars.
Financially backing anti-family causes doesn't fit with the all-American image to which McDonald's caters. Growing, busy families are the core of their business.
However, representatives from state and national family groups joined together outside McDonald's Oak Brook international headquarters Wednesday, calling for those who hold traditional family values to boycott McDonald's by not eating there and by pulling corporate stock investments.
One of the Illinois-based groups urging the protest is Illinois Family Institute, whose executive director David Smith released this portion of a longer media statement:
The Illinois Family Institute (IFI) believes that McDonald's vigorous support of the NGLCC undermines essential societal institutions-- particularly, the natural family-- while violating the deeply held convictions of many. Through both funding and corporate policies, McDonald's affirms and supports radical and culturally divisive anti-family principles.
In a recent letter, McDonald's "Global Chief Diversity Officer," Pat Harris, wrote that, "We have a well-established and proud heritage of associating with individuals and organizations that share in the belief that every person has the right to live and work in their community free of discrimination." If Ms. Harris means that those who identify as homosexual should be able to live and work without harassment, we're in complete agreement. No one should be harassed anywhere anytime.
American Family Association director Tim Wildmon reports over 200,000 have signed onto their online petition committing to the national boycott.
What do the groups want to call off the boycott? David Smith says McDonald's should publicly withdraw from the coalition and ask for return of the $20,000. "We would be happy if they did that," Smith said. "We'd also like them to support the natural family rather than sexual perversion."
Other participants in the press conference included Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth (pictured right), Elise Bouc of Stop ERA (pictured above), Matt Barber from Liberty Counsel and Buddy Smith of AFA.
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Question: Will you participate in this boycott and what would you propose McDonald's do to make amends to the pro-family groups?
The IL GOP's platform supports one man/one woman marriage. Will this pit the father and son McKennas against each other, or will it even come up at family outings?
Could the legal immigrant movement be persuaded to join the pro-family groups in opposition to McDonald's?
