Logo
BusinessBusiness

McDonald’s is facing a weeklong boycott over its rollback of corporate DEI policies earlier this year — becoming the latest target of “economic blackouts” by a left-leaning grassroots group.

The boycott by People’s Union USA — which previously has targeted Walmart, Target and Amazon this year over their rollbacks of DEI policies to placate the Trump administration — is planned to last from Tuesday through Monday, June 30.

McDonald’s axed some of its DEI policies in January, just before President Trump took office, citing a 2023 Supreme Court ruling that overturned affirmative action. 


  The People’s Union USA is calling for a week-long boycott of McDonald’s starting Tuesday. Christopher Sadowski The People’s Union USA is calling for a week-long boycott of McDonald’s starting Tuesday. Christopher Sadowski

The burgers-and-fries chain said it would retire its diversity goals for senior leadership and end a program that encouraged suppliers to develop diversity training and set their own DEI goals for senior roles.

McDonald’s also announced it would pause “external surveys.”

Several other corporations have stopped participating in the Human Rights Campaign’s annual survey, which measures workplace inclusion for LGBTQ+ employees.

The People’s Union USA is calling on burger lovers to halt their Happy Meal trips as they demand “fair taxes, an end to price gouging, real equality and corporate accountability,” John Schwarz, who leads the group, said in an Instagram post this week.

“This is about more than burgers and fries, this is about power. When we unite and hit corporations in their wallets, they listen,” Schwarz continued in a post to his 451,000 followers.

McDonald’s spoke out against the boycott, saying it provides meaningful economic opportunities for local communities and pays its fair share of taxes.

“As a brand that serves millions of people every day, McDonald’s opens our doors to everyone, and our commitment to inclusion remains steadfast,” a McDonald’s spokesperson told The Post in a statement.

“We welcome honest dialogue with the communities we serve, but we’re disappointed to see these misleading claims that distort our values and misrepresent our actions.”

While a March boycott of Amazon gained significant media attention, it seemingly had little impact on the e-commerce giant, which posted better-than-expected earnings that same quarter.

In May, however, Target was forced to slash its full-year forecast as it reported dismal sales following a 40-day boycott by the group.


  McDonald’s axed some of its DEI policies in January just before President Trump took office. Christopher Sadowski McDonald’s axed some of its DEI policies in January just before President Trump took office. Christopher Sadowski

Target CEO Brian Cornell blamed the poor performance on “headwinds” including “reaction to the updates we shared on [DEI] in January.”

That boycott is being led by Atlanta-based pastor Rev. Jamal Bryant.

Even a small impact to its bottom line could damage McDonald’s, which is already reporting weak results this year.

In the first quarter, it suffered its steepest drop in US same-store sales since 2020.

The People’s Union USA is planning several other boycotts, including a monthlong boycott of Starbucks, Amazon and Home Depot starting July 1 and another targeting Walmart, McDonald’s and Lowe’s starting August 1.

Schwarz’s group also plans to lead an “economic blackout” on July 4, calling for consumers to avoid any economic activity on Independence Day.

Comments
anonymous profile image
Powered by RoundtableBuilt on infrastructure designed for real-time media. Learn more at RTB.io.© Roundtable 2026. By using this site you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy