Service Employees International Union members and other groups staged peaceful protests at Burger King restaurants in several cities across the country to bring attention to a variety of issues, from the company's lobbying against unionization to its lack of affordable employee health care.
The Standard Times reported that about 25 protesters rallied Thursday in front of a New Bedford, Mass., Burger King to bring attention to policies that discourage unionization. The protest also focused on Burger King's relationship to its part-owner Goldman Sachs, which received billions of dollars in federal bailout money and paid large bonuses to its executives.
Ian L. Mello, spokesman for the Coalition for Social Justice and the Coalition Against Poverty, said the demonstration was part of a national effort aimed at about 100 Burger King outlets throughout the United States.
The SEIU Local 503 Web site says that protests in Portland, Salem and Eugene, Ore., called on Burger King and Goldman Sachs to provide affordable health care for Burger King workers.
A Fox5 Vegas story said that SEIU members held a protest at a Las Vegas Burger King to insist Goldman Sachs share some of its bailout money with Burger King employees.
Burger King Corp. released the following statement in response to the news reports:
"Burger King Corp. (BKC) believes unions serve a purpose in some workplaces and a number of its guests, vendors and franchisees have positive union membership experiences. BKC is not anti-union. BKC and its franchisees serve a diverse consumer base and, therefore, aim to remain neutral on political issues.
"Funds managed by Goldman Sachs currently own approximately 10 percent of BKC's outstanding common stock. These Goldman Sachs funds are among hundreds of institutional funds that are current shareholders of BKC. No institutional funds including those owned by Goldman Sachs control the day-to-day activities or management of the company.
"BKC is not a recipient of any federal TARP funds."
