Latest news with #JohnSchwarz
Newsweek
14 hours ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Nationwide Lowe's Boycott Planned for August 1: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. A nationwide boycott of Lowe's, organized by the People's Union USA, is scheduled to begin August 1 and run throughout the month, as the group calls for Americans to halt spending at the home improvement retail chain. Newsweek has reached out to Lowe's and the People's Union USA's founder, John Schwartz, via email for comment. Why It Matters The Lowe's boycott is the latest in a series of consumer-led economic boycotts. Boycotts of large American companies have been repeatedly organized following President Donald Trump's return to office back in January. A Lowe's store in Brooklyn on February 27, 2024 in New York City. A Lowe's store in Brooklyn on February 27, 2024 in New York groups have spearheaded the action and expressed concerns over a number of issues, including company tax avoidance and workers' rights, as well as the scaling-back of diversity hiring commitments. What To Know The planned boycott of Lowe's in August was announced by John Schwarz, founder of The People's Union USA, via Instagram. The movement has previously organized boycotts against companies including Amazon, Target and Walmart, as well as leading 24-hour nationwide "economic blackouts." Schwartz has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram and more than 360,000 on TikTok. In August, the group will aim to withhold consumer spending at Lowe's for the entire month, alongside similar actions that target Walmart and McDonald's. The mission statement from The People's Union USA reads: "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." Lowe's rolled back its DEI initiatives amid online backlash from conservatives in the summer of 2024. The changes, which were confirmed by Lowe's to Bloomberg at the time, included the retail chain ending its participation in surveys conducted by the LGBTQ advocacy group Human Rights Campaign and plans to stop sponsoring community events that are not focused on safe and affordable housing, disaster relief and skilled trades education. 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." What's Next The People's Union USA's boycott of Lowe's is scheduled to begin on August 1 and last through the end of the month.
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Nationwide boycotts of Walmart and McDonald's begin August 1- Here's why Americans are taking a stand
Why are people boycotting McDonald's? Live Events Why are people going after Walmart again? Who is in charge of these boycotts across the country? FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel In August, there will be a lot of news about a growing wave of consumer activism . The People's Union USA has asked people all over the country to stop shopping at Walmart and McDonald 's starting on August grassroots movement is going up against businesses that it says hurt workers, avoid taxes, and don't care about their social Union USA has said that starting on August 1, they will not buy anything from Walmart or McDonald's for a month. The campaign, which is based on worries about tax evasion by big companies, bad working conditions, and broken promises of diversity, wants to get people to spend more money at small businesses. Organizers are also going after Lowe's, and they plan to boycott other stores like Amazon, as per a boycott starts on August 1 and lasts for the whole month. The Union is telling regular Americans to stop shopping at McDonald's, Walmart, and Lowe's and instead spend their money at smaller, independent People's Union USA says that McDonald's has been criticized for cutting back on its Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) programs and allegedly lobbying against pay raises. The fast-food giant, which serves more than 68 million people every day, is also accused of avoiding taxes, which is a common complaint among progressive groups that want businesses to be more groups have already been boycotting McDonald's around the world, but this new push is directly related to concerns in the US about fair treatment of workers and corporate influence in has been a symbol of corporate power in the U.S. for a long time. John Schwarz, the founder of People's Union USA, says that "Walmart represents everything wrong with unchecked corporate power." The campaign says that Walmart treats its workers unfairly, pays them too little, and doesn't pay its fair share of People's Union has boycotted Walmart before. The same group held a similar protest in April. This time, though, the campaign is better organized, with targeted social media campaigns and help from progressive TikTok and Instagram has more than 360,000 followers on TikTok and more than 500,000 on Instagram, which has helped the movement gain a lot of digital People's Union USA is not a member of any political party. It calls itself a non-partisan movement that wants to give regular Americans back control of the economy and the group says in its mission statement, "We are not a protest." We are a group of people who are working together to take back control of our country's economy, government, and August project is just one part of a bigger plan. Companies like Amazon, Uber, and PepsiCo are already planning to be boycotted in Union is now telling Americans to wait to buy things they don't need from these companies and look for local options not clear yet if these efforts will hurt the profits of these huge companies. The movement has struck a chord with people who are sick of corporate greed and are ready to do something about it with their boycott is a protest against corporate tax avoidance poor labor conditions , and reduced diversity People's Union USA, a grassroots organization led by John Schwarz, is in charge of organizing the campaign.
Hindustan Times
a day ago
- Business
- Hindustan Times
Nationwide Walmart, McDonald's boycotts to begin from August 1: Here's all you need to know
The People's Union USA will launch a nationwide boycott of Walmart and McDonald's that is set to start on August 1 and run the entire month. The group is urging Americans to stop spending money at the retail behemoths. Walmart, McDonald's boycott: John Schwarz, the founder of The People's Union USA, announced on Instagram that a boycott of McDonald's and Walmart was planned for August.(Representative Image/AFP) This comes after a string of boycotts initiated by consumers that occurred after President Donald Trump was re-elected in January. Progressive organizations have taken the lead in this campaign, voicing disapproval of firms' retraction of their diversity employment pledges as well as worries about worker rights and corporate tax evasion. People's Union USA founder announces Walmart, McDonald's boycotts John Schwarz, the founder of The People's Union USA, announced on Instagram that a boycotts of McDonald's and Walmart were planned for August. In the past, this grassroots campaign has led nationwide 24-hour 'economic blackouts' and coordinated boycotts against Amazon, Walmart, and Target. Schwartz has over 360,000 TikTok fans and over 500,000 Instagram followers. The goal of the August campaign is to prevent customers from spending money at McDonald's for the whole month. Walmart and Lowe's will also be the targets of comparable measures. The People's Union has advised customers to postpone unnecessary purchases at the Walmart during the period of the boycott or, if possible, reroute purchases to small, independent firms. 'We are not a political party,' The People's Union USA's mission said in a statement. '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.' Also Read: What happened to Laura Dahlmeier? German Olympic champion dies in tragic incident in Pakistan What we know about McDonald's boycott With an estimated 68 million patrons every day, McDonald's is the biggest restaurant chain in the world. McDonald's has been facing boycotts from the pro-Palestinian Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement since 2023. Last year, McDonald's decision to reduce its diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives has drawn criticism. A list of the main complaints with each targeted corporation was posted on the website of The People's Union USA earlier this year. The grievances inlcuded tax evasion, labor conditions, and general monopolistic conduct. McDonald's landed on the list due to alleged 'tax avoidance and known lobbying against wage increases.' What we know about Walmart boycott The People's Union USA launched Walmart boycott in April as well, with Schwartz saying, 'We're boycotting Walmart because they've become the symbol of everything that's wrong with corporate power in this country... Our mission is simple, we want these corporations to start paying their fair share of taxes so the American people can finally be relieved of the burden of federal income tax.' Boycott of Lowe's is also planned for August. Moreover, Amazon, Uber, and Pepsi Co. will face boycotts in September.
Newsweek
2 days ago
- Business
- Newsweek
Nationwide McDonald's Boycott Planned For August 1: What to Know
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. 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. McDonald's branch on June 13, 2025 in Gloucester, England. McDonald's branch on June 13, 2025 in Gloucester, 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." What Happens Next The People's Union USA's boycott of McDonald's is scheduled to begin on August 1 and last through the end of the month.
USA Today
04-07-2025
- Politics
- USA Today
I won't boycott the Fourth of July because it's not about Trump
We're already divided enough. Every day feels like another political firestorm. What we need more of − not less − are the few shared rituals that bring people together across beliefs and backgrounds. There's a growing call this year to boycott the Fourth of July. The activist group People's Union USA, the same organization that has organized boycotts of Walmart, McDonald's and Target, is now asking Americans to sit out Independence Day. No parades. No fireworks. No spending at major retailers. Just stay home and, in the words of founder John Schwarz, "pull away our presence and our dollars." The idea, he says, is that there's no independence to celebrate right now. Not when our politics are broken. Not when authoritarianism is on the rise. Not when diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives are being gutted and civil rights feel increasingly fragile. And I get it − I do. I've spoken out against injustice and stood up for marginalized communities. I've been as critical of President Donald Trump and his policies as anyone. I understand the fear that our democracy may be slipping away. I strongly believe that economic pressure can be a righteous tool. But here's where I part ways: I won't boycott the Fourth. Opinion: I'm not sure what being a patriot means in Trump's America. Are you? Tell us. Independence Day isn't about one president July 4 isn't about Trump. It's not about any one president, policy or party. It's about us − the American people − and the generations before us who refused to be ruled by a king and instead built something radically new: a nation founded on the promise of liberty and equality, even if we've never perfectly lived up to it. Independence Day is not a day to sit out. It's a day to show up. Even when the country disappoints us − especially when it does − we should claim the day as ours. Not to paper over the problems or pretend things are fine. But to remind ourselves and one another what this nation could be. Look, if people want to withhold their money from corporations on July 4, more power to them. Pack your own picnic. Support local businesses. That's a legitimate form of protest, and one I respect. But telling families to skip the fireworks and keep their kids home from the parade? That feels, well, un-American. We're already divided enough. Every day feels like another political firestorm. What we need more of − not less − are the few shared rituals that bring people together across beliefs and backgrounds. And whether it's the Fourth of July or Juneteenth, our national holidays should be moments that unite us around common values, not divide us with new lines in the sand. Opinion: This July Fourth, my patriotism looks like two middle fingers – and that's OK A lesson from Juneteenth I've seen people dismiss and downplay Juneteenth − a day that marks the long-overdue end of slavery for millions of Americans. That angers me. But so does the idea of telling Americans not to celebrate July 4, the day we declared independence from tyranny and laid the foundation for future freedoms. Both holidays matter. Both are worth celebrating. Both tell stories of struggle, pain, revolution and eventual progress. So no, I won't boycott the Fourth. I'll be there with my family, watching the fireworks, celebrating this messy, complicated, beautiful country. Not because it's perfect. Not because I'm complacent about Trump. Not because I'm apathetic about his "big, beautiful bill" and the damage it'll cause. But because I still believe in what America can become. And if we're serious about healing what's broken, then maybe instead of turning our backs on each other this July 4, we can turn toward one another − and try, just for one day, to remember what unites us under those bright bursts in the night sky. Kevin S. Aldridge is the Opinion and Engagement Editor at the Cincinnati Enquirer, where this column originally published. He can be reached at kaldridge@ or on X, formerly known as Twitter: @kevaldrid
