The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and courts nationwide are processing complaints and lawsuits from dozens of people who claim that they suffered sexual harassment while working at McDonald’s. A Florida woman has joined the group of victims. On top of being the target of unwanted touching from a co-worker, who also aimed sexually explicit comments at her, the woman said that the co-worker asked to pay for sex with her 1-year-old daughter.
Twenty five complaints have been filed against various McDonald’s restaurants and corporate offices throughout the country. Some of the plaintiffs were only 16 years old when they endured groping, indecent exposure, requests for sex and lewd comments while working for the fast-food chain.
The 25 complainants have brought their allegations forward with assistance from the American Civil Liberties Union and Time’s Up, a gender equality organization. They announced their filings two days ahead of annual shareholder meeting for the company.
Since last year, the CEO of McDonald’s has taken action to address problems at the company and among franchisees. The company consulted with an organization that fights sexual violence to improve its harassment policy. New training materials and posters have been prepared for franchise owners.
Although employers often make statements in support of safe workplaces once litigation begins, a victim might experience retaliation for making a complaint. Reduced work hours or wrongful termination could result. A person might hold an employer accountable for such actions by seeking South Florida sexual harassment legal assistance. An attorney might help to document illegal conduct and defend the person’s rights while the complaint is investigated and resolved.
Source: USA Today, “McDonald’s faces 25 new charges of sexual harassment in the workplace“, Mike Snider, May 21, 2019