Ohio McDonald's urges employees to vote Repub in their paychecks...

[cynatnite]

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A handful of McDonald's employees in northeastern Ohio received handbills in their most recent paychecks suggesting they vote for three Republican candidates.

"If the right people are elected we will be able to continue with raises and benefits at or above our present levels," the insert said. "If others are elected we will not."

The fast food chain's corporate headquarters in Oak Brook, Ill., quickly condemned the action by Canton franchisee Paul Siegfried, saying it violated company policy. Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner, the Democratic elections chief, said she was launching an investigation because the action appeared to violate Ohio election laws.

Allen Schulman, an attorney representing one of the employees, said Friday he had forwarded the paycheck insert to Canton's city law director, citing state and federal laws against corporate advocacy in elections.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20101029/ap_on_bi_ge/us_ohio_election_mcdonald_s

[MadMaddie]

1. They continue to push the limits

to see what they can get away with.

[cynatnite]

3. Is it just me, or is this a form of voter intimidation?

Putting it in your paycheck like that strikes me as threatening.

[MadMaddie]

4. Absolutely!

The implied message is you better vote the way we suggest or your job will be at risk. This tactic is not new.

[stray cat]

10. - if I say vote democratic to people in my lab because the GOP will cut research funding

And we won't be able to maintain funding for the lab that is just the truth

[TK421]

11. Yeah...it sounds like an ultimatum n/t

[depakid]

7. Why not? There's not even a semblance of acountability for worse behaviour than this

And we can no longer place the blame on Republicans for this.

[laughingliberal]

2. Shades of the 1930's. I believe FDR had a few words about paycheck inserts of this nature. nt

[elocs]

5. Posted here in GD 6 hours ago:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x9414046

[tomm2thumbs]

6. McDonald's mgmt is going to get a little subpoena in their paychecks

along with a long schedule of investigations, interviews, testimony, driving to and from the courts, etc.

I'd say that little stupid piece of paper is going to end up costing them hundreds of thousands of dollars in legal defense fees. tsk tsk tsk

[stray cat]

8. At work at a med school we are generally clear if we want funding for research we vote democratic

I have heard it from those senior to me - it happens to be true as well

[LiberalFighter]

9. Doesn't the law require them to report that as an in-kind contribution?