NEWSWEEK – The organization behind a nationwide boycott of McDonald’s that is set to start on Tuesday said the movement is “about more than burgers and fries.”
As part of its ongoing “Economic Blackout Tour,” The People’s Union USA, the movement behind recent boycotts of Target and Walmart, is urging Americans to refrain from eating at the fast-food chain between June 24 and June 30.
“This is about power,” the organization said in a post shared by its founder John Schwarz on Instagram on Saturday. “When we unite and hit corporations in their wallets, they listen.”
Newsweek has reached out to McDonald’s via email for comment.
The first half of 2025 has been marked by boycotts of several household-name companies, sparked by certain corporations rolling back diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, as well as wider pushback against practices such as tax avoidance and underpaying workers.
Since late 2023, McDonald’s has also been battling a boycott led by the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement for alleged complicity with the actions of the Israeli military in the Gaza Strip.
What To Know
The People’s Union USA describes itself on its website as “a grassroots movement focused on economic resistance, corporate accountability, and real justice for the working class.”
Since February, the group has orchestrated boycotts of Amazon, Walmart and Target, as well as periodic “economic blackouts,” during which it says Americans should “avoid shopping, streaming, online orders, fast food, and everything in between,” and rely exclusively on small, local businesses …
