Shereen's Blog

http://www.adc.org/

ADC Legal Advisor Kareem Shora today wrote a letter to Jim Cantalupo, Chief
Executive Officer of McDonald's Corporation, expressing the organization's
deep concern regarding an apparent ban on employees of McDonald's Israeli
franchisees speaking in Arabic.

EXERPTS OF ADC LETTER TO MCDONALD'S:
ADC is concerned about a recent discrimination allegation against McDonald's,
in which McDonald's allegedly abruptly fired 20-year old Abeer Zinaty from a
restaurant in Ramle, Israel although she had given over two years of service
to the company during which she was awarded the title "Excellent Worker 2003."
Ms. Zinaty has alleged that McDonald's fired her for speaking Arabic, her
native language and an official language of the State of Israel, while working
at the Ramle restaurant.

ADC understands that the Israeli Labor, Welfare and Health Committee has
recently called upon McDonald's to act in accordance with the provisions of
Israeli employment law and not to discriminate against employees on the basis
of race, religion, nationality or language. Without reference to Ms. Zinaty's
specific allegations, as the matter is currently under investigation by the
Israeli Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor, ADC wishes to address the
general issue of discrimination at hand.

Not only is McDonald's a U.S. corporation, it is a symbol of the United States
and the U.S. way of life to people around the world. When a case of
discrimination is alleged at a McDonald's franchise in a foreign country, it
reflects poorly upon the company and is inconsistent with American values.
Moreover, where a single alleged instance of discrimination at a McDonald's
restaurant is, in fact, a symptom of a discriminatory company policy or
practice, both the American corporation and the corporation's foreign
employees are shamed before the international community.

ADC has not been able to determine whether McDonald's in fact employs a policy
of prohibiting workers at its Israeli restaurants from speaking Arabic because
McDonald's officials have made contradictory statements regarding the matter.
Ms. Ariella Padan, Deputy to the Chairman of McDonald's Management in Israel,
has said that there is no prohibition against McDonald's employees speaking
Arabic. On the other hand, McDonald's Israeli Assistant Director General for
Human Resources, Ms. Talila Yodfat, wrote in a letter to Ms. Zinaty's attorney
dated January 27, 2004, "there is a directive known to all chain employees,
that the restaurant staff will speak, among themselves and with clients, only
in the Hebrew language."