Why is there a nationwide McDonald’s boycott on August 1? All you need to know

According to the People’s Union USA activist group, the American nationwide boycott of McDonald’s will begin on August 1, 2025. The one-month protest is part of a larger movement that is singling out major corporations over issues including their tax practices, the wages they pay workers, and the diversity policies they have in place.

The boycott is being led by The People’s Union USA, a grassroots progressive organization established by activist John Schwarz.

The group, which has more than 500,000 followers on Instagram, and other allied organizations have previously organized calls for boycotts at companies like Amazon, Walmart, and Target, and nationwide economic blackout protests.

"The mission of The People’s Union USA is to hold corporations and corrupt systems accountable, not with violence or empty promises, but with the one thing that actually affects them, the money we spend," Schwarz told The Arizona Republic.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by John Schwarz (@theonecalledjai)

The boycott leaders have outlined a number of critical matters that are central to their campaign against McDonald’s. According to a report by Newsweek, critics argue that the fast-food giant has been using legal but unsavory tactics to reduce its federal tax bills.

Worker pay is another key battleground, with McDonald’s repeatedly coming under fire for fighting minimum wage increases despite generating healthy corporate profits, as well as for being accused of actively discouraging unionizing efforts among its employees.

On the other hand, McDonald’s is under fire from the pro-Palestinian BDS movement, leading to a boycott against it since 2023 due to the company’s activities in Israel.

A look into the previous boycott of McDonald’s

This is not the first, nor will it be the last, call to account for a corporation by The People’s Union USA, which previously held a week-long boycott of McDonald’s in June 2025, the same week that similar initiatives targeted Starbucks, Amazon, and Home Depot.

Leaders of the group say those efforts have already started to sway corporate policy-making, but there has been little concrete evidence of shifts in policy.

"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," John Schwarz said in a statement.

Set to last for August 2025, the boycott forces consumers to not spend any money at all at McDonald's, while simultaneously spreading the message on social media. The coordinated campaign aims to use economic pressure to demand reforms in the company.