McDonald’s workers have walked out in 12 US cities in protest against how the restaurant chain has dealt with sexual harassment claims.
Fight for $15, the campaign group that organised the action, said workers had filed more than 50 complaints or lawsuits alleging harassment at McDonald’s outlets.
While McDonald’s has said that “sexual harassment and assault have no place” at its restaurants, Fight for $15 claims that those run as a franchise are doing little to tackle the problem.
The group has supported five strikes over harassment since 2018, arguing that McDonald’s has “largely ignored” complaints from frontline workers.
It has also launched a ‘#metoo, McDonald’s’ petition and campaign in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties Union where workers have demanded greater accountability from the company, including a “clear and safe reporting system when we experience sexual harassment”.
It also wants the chain to hold managers to account if they fail to protect workers.
Workers have left their shifts in Chicago, Detroit, Houston and Miami, according to reports.
A 2020 report commissioned by unions found that around three-quarters of almost 800 female workers at restaurants and franchises had been harassed at work.
McDonald’s pledged earlier this year to require all workers at both corporate and franchise outlets to undergo anti-harassment training.
A BBC report shared a statement from McDonald’s, which said: “Every single person working at a McDonald’s restaurant deserves to feel safe and respected when they come to work, and sexual harassment and assault have no place in any McDonald’s restaurant.
“We know more work is needed to further our workplace ambitions, which is why all 40,000 McDonald’s restaurants [worldwide] will be assessed and accountable to global brand standards. These standards prioritise action in multiple areas, including prevention of harassment, discrimination and retaliation.”
Last year, McDonald’s launched legal action against former chief executive Steve Easterbrook after he was dismissed for failing to disclose a sexual relationship with a former colleague.
The chain sought to recover millions in severance pay from Easterbrook who was found, according to a lawsuit, to have had relationships with several work colleagues and sent explicit photos using his work email.
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Personnel Today approached McDonald’s for comment.
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