PBS高端访谈:美国麦当劳遭起诉 被指"窃取"员工工资

 　　HARI SREENIVASAN: Yesterday, we told you that the National Labor¹ Relations Board filed formal complaints against McDonald's and some of its franchisees³.

　　To unpack⁴ this story further, we're joined now by Steven Greenhouse. Until this past week, he was a correspondent for The New York Times who covered labor issues, among other things.

　　So, what does the NLRB allege⁵ that McDonald's or its franchisees did?

　　STEVEN GREENHOUSE: So, the Labor Board says that McDonald's and many of its franchisees around the country improperly⁶ retaliated⁷ against, spied on workers who participated in this Fight for 15 campaign of fast food workers, demanding a base wage of $15 an hour at fast food restaurants around the country.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: OK.

　　So, there's usually a distinction between McDonald's, the owning franchise², or, I guess, the brand, and all of the franchisees. But why are they lumped together in this?

　　STEVEN GREENHOUSE: What's really gotten under McDonald's and the business community's skin is the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board is saying McDonald's is a joint⁸ employer with its franchisees.

　　So, it's saying that a franchise that might have 30 employees and often acts as if, well, I, the franchise owner, I'm the only employer, the NLRB is saying McDonald's exercises so much influence over the restaurants, telling them, you know — with all sorts of requirements about how to cook, how to keep things clean, ways to handle your employees, the NLRB said, McDonald's, you're a joint employer.

　　And, for McDonald's, that's quite bad news, because it means if a franchise owner is charged with not paying overtime⁹ or if he's charged with retaliating¹⁰ against someone for exercising his — his rights to form a union, not just the franchise operator will be accused and charged, but McDonald's itself can be held jointly¹¹ responsible.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: So, this has repercussions¹² beyond McDonald's, then.

　　STEVEN GREENHOUSE: Yes. So, this has sent shockwaves through franchise industries around the country, you know, restaurants, retailers¹⁴, I guess auto¹⁵ lube¹⁶ company — all sorts of companies.

　　And then, on Friday, there was this big telephonic — telephonic news conference with the Chamber¹⁷ of Commerce, the National Retail¹³ Federation¹⁸, the International Franchise Association, and the National Restaurant Association.

　　They're upset. And they really want to persuade the courts, they want to persuade Congress to do something about this NLRB action.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: So, now it goes in front of an administrative¹⁹ law judge, but what does that mean? What are the next steps in this fight?

　　STEVEN GREENHOUSE: So, these are only allegations. It's civil, not criminal.

　　So, a judge will hear it. And if the judge rules against McDonald's, then McDonald's will likely appeal to the five-person NLRB in Washington, then probably to the federal courts.

　　Unions are very, very happy about what the NLRB did, because it means that it gives them much more leverage²⁰ pressure against — against McDonald's and its franchisees.

　　If McDonald's is considered a joint employer, that means it will pressure its franchisees to comply with the law more.

　　And unions are trying — this fast food campaign is trying to unionize McDonald's. And the fact that it could — that if it's a joint employer, you could try to run a nationwide campaign to unionize all the McDonald's around the country, rather than just this franchise here in New York and this one in Cincinnati, this one in Saint Louis.

　　So it is really is a boon²¹ for the unions, but, as I said, it's not great for McDonald's.

　　HARI SREENIVASAN: All right, Steven Greenhouse, thanks so much.

　　STEVEN GREENHOUSE: Sure. Great to be here.

1 labor   

n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦

参考例句：

• We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
• He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后，他已经疲惫不堪了。

2 franchise   

n.特许，特权，专营权，特许权

参考例句：

• Catering in the schools is run on a franchise basis.学校餐饮服务以特许权经营。
• The United States granted the franchise to women in 1920.美国于1920年给妇女以参政权。

3 franchisees   

n.特许经营人( franchisee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Works on these franchisees' facilities were moving ahead rapidly. 这些专营设施的工程正迅速推展。 来自互联网
• Another good source of information about a franchise is other franchisees. 另一个了解特许经营的可靠信息源是其他经营者。 来自互联网

4 unpack   

vt.打开包裹（或行李），卸货

参考例句：

• I must unpack before dinner.我得在饭前把行李打开。
• She said she would unpack the items later.她说以后再把箱子里的东西拿出来。

5 allege   

vt.宣称，申述，主张，断言

参考例句：

• The newspaper reporters allege that the man was murdered but they have given no proof.新闻记者们宣称这个男人是被谋杀的，但他们没提出证据。
• Students occasionally allege illness as the reason for absence.学生时不时会称病缺课。

6 improperly   

不正确地，不适当地

参考例句：

• Of course it was acting improperly. 这样做就是不对嘛！
• He is trying to improperly influence a witness. 他在试图误导证人。

7 retaliated   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• When he once teased her for her inexperience, she retaliated. 有一次，他讥讽她没有经验，她便反唇相讥。 来自辞典例句
• The terrorists retaliated by killing three policemen. 恐怖分子以杀死三名警察相报复。 来自辞典例句

8 joint   

adj.联合的，共同的；n.关节，接合处；v.连接，贴合

参考例句：

• I had a bad fall,which put my shoulder out of joint.我重重地摔了一跤，肩膀脫臼了。
• We wrote a letter in joint names.我们联名写了封信。

9 overtime   

adj.超时的，加班的；adv.加班地

参考例句：

• They are working overtime to finish the work.为了完成任务他们正在加班加点地工作。
• He was paid for the overtime he worked.他领到了加班费。

10 retaliating   

v.报复，反击( retaliate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The administration will begin retaliating in six weeks if EC policies remain unchanged. 凯特先生说，如果欧共体一意孤行，美国政府将于六周后开始报复。 来自互联网

11 jointly   

ad.联合地，共同地

参考例句：

• Tenants are jointly and severally liable for payment of the rent. 租金由承租人共同且分别承担。
• She owns the house jointly with her husband. 她和丈夫共同拥有这所房子。

12 repercussions   

n.后果，反响( repercussion的名词复数 )；余波

参考例句：

• The collapse of the company will have repercussions for the whole industry. 这家公司的垮台将会给整个行业造成间接的负面影响。
• Human acts have repercussions far beyond the frontiers of the human world. 人类行为所产生的影响远远超出人类世界的范围。 来自《简明英汉词典》

13 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

14 retailers   

零售商，零售店( retailer的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• High street retailers reported a marked increase in sales before Christmas. 商业街的零售商报告说圣诞节前销售量显著提高。
• Retailers have a statutory duty to provide goods suitable for their purpose. 零售商有为他们提供符合要求的货品的法定义务。

15 auto   

n.(=automobile)(口语)汽车

参考例句：

• Don't park your auto here.别把你的汽车停在这儿。
• The auto industry has brought many people to Detroit.汽车工业把许多人吸引到了底特律。

16 lube   

n.润滑油

参考例句：

• Will you supply main engine lube oil in bulk or in barrel?你供的主机滑油是散装,还是桶装？
• Blending is the very important unit of lube oil manufacture.调和是润滑油生产工艺过程中必不可少的环节。

17 chamber   

n.房间，寝室；会议厅；议院；会所

参考例句：

• For many,the dentist's surgery remains a torture chamber.对许多人来说，牙医的治疗室一直是间受刑室。
• The chamber was ablaze with light.会议厅里灯火辉煌。

18 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

19 administrative   

adj.行政的，管理的

参考例句：

• The administrative burden must be lifted from local government.必须解除地方政府的行政负担。
• He regarded all these administrative details as beneath his notice.他认为行政管理上的这些琐事都不值一顾。

20 leverage   

n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量

参考例句：

• We'll have to use leverage to move this huge rock.我们不得不借助杠杆之力来移动这块巨石。
• He failed in the project because he could gain no leverage. 因为他没有影响力，他的计划失败了。

21 boon   

n.恩赐，恩物，恩惠

参考例句：

• A car is a real boon when you live in the country.在郊外居住，有辆汽车确实极为方便。
• These machines have proved a real boon to disabled people.事实证明这些机器让残疾人受益匪浅。