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McDonald's wants a break today: 'McJob' definition must go

Thursday, March 22, 2007 | 04:22 PM ET

Fast-food chain McDonald's is aiming to scrub "McJob" from the pages of dictionaries, saying the definition is an insult to its employees.

The Oxford English Dictionary defines the noun as "an unstimulating, low-paid job with few prospects, esp. one created by the expansion of the service sector."

"Dictionaries are supposed to be paragons of accuracy. And in this case, they got it completely wrong," said Walt Riker, a McDonald's spokesman. Riker said the company plans on launching a campaign in Britain, encouraging the country's dictionary editors to change its references.

"It's a complete disservice and incredibly demeaning to a terrific workforce and a company that's been a jobs and opportunity machine for 50 years."

The OED says the Washington Post first coined the term in 1986. The dictionary also highlights the word's use in Vancouver-based Douglas Coupland's novel Generation X. "Dag ... was bored and cranky after eight hours of working his McJob (‘Low pay, low prestige, low benefits, low future’)," the entry reads.

In 2003, Merriam-Webster refused to remove or change their definition of "McJob," saying the word's definition was accurate.

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