NAACP Works for L.A. Gains at McDonald’s

The Los Angeles chapter of the National Assn. for the Advancement of Colored People, encouraged by last week’s agreement with McDonald’s restaurants to involve more minorities in the profitable nationwide fast-food chain, is working to see some of that agreement pays off at home.

“Since we began the project here, it seems this community has a special claim to the proceeds,” Melanie Lomax, attorney for the NAACP, said Monday. “We have to be able to produce results for local constituents.”

McDonald’s and the NAACP announced Saturday in New York that the nation’s biggest fast-food chain has pledged to establish 100 new black-owned restaurants over the next four years, appoint more minorities to managerial and administrative posts and do more business with minority contractors, suppliers, advertisers and financial and legal agencies--about $110 million worth of business over five years.

The Los Angeles chapter opened the way for the negotiations, which began after the chapter organized a boycott of McDonald’s last April, contending that the chain discriminated against blacks in its hiring, franchising and purchasing policies.

10% Sought for L.A.

Now, Lomax said, the local NAACP is working to ensure that around 10% of those 100 new franchises and business opportunities will be in Los Angeles.

Lomax said the NAACP wants minorities--including Asians and Latinos, as specified in the agreement--”to have a fair proportion of the benefits of this agreement.”

To that end, Lomax said, the NAACP has “pledged to identify sources of (minority) business people who can supply the services McDonald’s needs” from potential franchise owners and black contractors to suppliers of food, straws and paper napkins.

There are an estimated 300 black-owned McDonald’s outlets nationwide. Until recently, Los Angeles County had nine black-owned McDonald’s outlets, Lomax said, but that figure was reduced to five when one franchise owner sold his four restaurants.