The term was popularised by Douglas Coupland's 'Generation X - Tales for an Accelerated Culture', published in 1991 although the term had been banded around the US since the 1980s. The dictionary definition first appeared in the online dictionary in 2001.
The fast food chain says it believes the definition is "out of date and insulting" and does not reflect the positions held by staff in its restaurants. A survey held by McDonald's reports that 69% of those surveyed in the UK believed the term needs refreshing.
The restaurant says 90% of employees thought their training was valuable and would help them throughout their working lives and 82% of workers would recommend working in the fast food chain to a friend.
McDonald's has also asked Clive Betts, a Sheffield MP, to sponsor an early-day motion in the House of Commons, calling for the service industry and its workers to be properly recognised in the economy.
The British Chambers of Commerce director general David Frost, City & Guilds director general Chris Humphries and British Retail Consortium director general Kevin Hawkins are also all lending their support to the campaign.
McDonald's is now encouraging customers to sign the in-store petition books or visit the campaign . The petition will be handed to the Oxford English Dictionary and its publisher Collins in the autumn.
In April 2006, the restaurant chain launched its McOpportunity recruitment scheme, which was displayed in 1,200 of its UK restaurants. The poster campaign highlighted the benefits of working for McDonalds and led with the tagline "McProspects -- over half of our executive team started in our restaurants. Not bad for a McJob".