They have accepted unions, and collective bargaining, if the alternative was to close altogether or suffer major public relations damage. But even when they have allowed a union, they've then tried to chip away at union recognitions. In Germany they recognised a Works Council, as they are obliged to do in law, and then they bought off 46 of them. Representatives were offering them between 5,000 and 100,000 DM , which is a considerable amount for a young person. So, one always has the sense that even if union recognition is secured, it is a temporary situation subject to change at any time from the management.
Unions mean expense.
McDonald's is totally profit oriented - that's all they aim for. They don't believe that the company has any other purpose except to make the maximum amount of money. One of the main problems that all the floor workers in McDonald's share is extremely low pay. Whenever the union comes in and obtains a contract, pay goes up. The first thing that happens after unionisation is a pay raise, which obviously cuts into McDonald's profits.