Lefty group behind 'economic blackout' launches weeklong McDonald's boycott

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 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.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.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 R...