Nationwide McDonald’s Boycott Planned For August 1: What to Know

A nationwide boycott of McDonald’s, organized by the People’s Union USA, is scheduled to begin August 1 and last throughout the month, with the group calling for Americans to halt spending at the fast food giant.

Newsweek has reached out to McDonald’s and to the People’s Union USA’s founder, John Schwartz via email for comment.

Why it Matters

This is the latest in a series of consumer-led economic boycotts, which have been organized following the reelection of President Donald Trump back in January.

This action has been spearheaded by progressive groups who have expressed a number of concerns over issues including company tax avoidance and workers’ rights, in addition to backlash over companies scaling back diversity hiring commitments.

What To Know

The planned boycott of McDonald’s in August was announced by John Schwarz, founder of The People’s Union USA, via Instagram.

This grassroots movement has previously organized boycotts against Amazon, Walmart, Target and has spearheaded nationwide 24-hour ‘economic blackouts.’ Schwartz has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, and more than 360,000 on TikTok.

The August initiative aims to withhold consumer spending at McDonald’s for the entire month, alongside similar actions targeting Walmart and Lowe’s.

The mission statement from The People’s Union USA states: “We are not a political party. We are not a protest. We are a movement of people, organizing to take back control of our economy, government and future of our country.”

McDonald’s is the world’s largest restaurant chain with an estimated 68 million daily customers.

It’s not the first time that the People’s Union USA has organized a boycott of McDonald’s, and it’s not the only organization boycotting the fast food chain.

The pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement has been boycotting the company since late 2023.

McDonald’s has faced criticism over the past year, due to the company’s decision to scale back its diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives.

Earlier this year, The People’s Union USA published a list of core grievances with each targeted company to its website. The list was largely centered around tax avoidance, conditions of workers and general monopolistic practices.

McDonald’s was included in the list for alleged “tax avoidance and known lobbying against wage increases,” issues that have in recent years resulted in criticism of the company, in addition to legal consequences.

What People Are Saying

John Schwarz, founder of The People’s Union USA, in a video posted to Instagram in late May: “Economic resistance is working. Target, Walmart and Amazon are all feeling it, talking about it. They are talking about the boycotts. They are talking about The People’s Union USA. My friends, we are fighting for these corporations to finally pay their fair share of federal income taxes to alleviate that from the American worker. We are also fighting for these companies to hold manufacturers and themselves to a reasonable profit margin cap and equality across the board.”