The offending definition appears in the latest edition of Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary. In an open letter, McDonald's Chairman Jim Cantalupo said it is not just his company that is being insulted:
"Merriam-Webster's inclusion of the term 'McJob', with its definition of 'low paying and dead end work', is not only an inaccurate description of restaurant employment but also a slap in the face to the 12 million men and women who work hard every day in America's 900,000 restaurants."
"Furthermore, McDonald's owns a federal trade mark registration for the mark McJOBS. It refers to a program designed to help train and place mentally and physically challenged people so they can work."
"Merriam-Webster's unflattering definition flies in the face of their achievements and significance to the workforce."
In a statement Merriam-Webster replied:
"For more than 17 years, McJob has been used as we are defining it in a broad range of publications, including The New York Times, US News & World Report, Publishers Weekly, Rolling Stone, The Times (London), The Boston Globe, Ms., Harper's, The New Republic, Utne Reader, and The Vancouver Sun."
The publishers intend to keep their definition.
