Maxime, McDuff, and McDo
Labour, Art, and Activism: The Magnus Isacsson Collection
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Documentary
Directed by Magnus Isacsson • 2002 • Canada • 52'
This is the story of two young men, Maxime and Pascal, who sow the wind and reap a storm. Things quickly get out of control when these two employees attempt to form a union at a Montreal McDonald’s. Their initiative to form a union at a Montreal outlet of McDonald’s fast food empire, famous for its ‘McJobs’ and its ferocious resistance to unions, sets off a series of events that quickly get out of control. Faced with continuous pressure from their boss, their workmates, their families, the union and the media, the two young men have to work hard to keep their enterprise on track.
But McDonald’s plays its ultimate card: the company closes down the restaurant and leaving the employees without jobs. In response, the Teamsters proclaim a national campaign to organize McDonald’s restaurants, however they leave the arduous task of organizing the campaign to the laid-off young workers. In this truly historic initiative, the stakes are enormous for the corporate giant and its employees across the globe.