老澳门开奖结果, Michigan Workers File Class Action Lawsuit Against McDonald鈥檚 for Sexual Harassment
DETROIT 鈥 The 老澳门开奖结果 and Michigan McDonald鈥檚 workers filed a class action lawsuit Tuesday seeking to force the company to address a 鈥渟ystemic problem鈥 of sexual harassment in its restaurants across the country.
The suit was filed against McDonald鈥檚 USA, McDonald鈥檚 Corp., and franchisee MLMLM Corp. in state court in Ingham County with support from the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund. It zeroes in on a McDonald鈥檚 restaurant near Lansing, Michigan and alleges a trail of illegal harassment that went ignored by management 鈥 including groping and physical assaults 鈥 is emblematic of a company that permits a toxic work culture from the very top.
鈥淢cDonald鈥檚 likes to say that it is powerless to stop sexual harassment from occurring in its franchise restaurants,鈥 said Gillian Thomas, senior staff attorney at the 老澳门开奖结果 Women鈥檚 Rights Project. 鈥淭hat would be laughable if it weren鈥檛 so destructive to the lives of tens of thousands of workers being left to fend for themselves. Today, we are taking McDonald鈥檚 to court to demand that it take responsibility and use its immense power to address the pervasive abuse happening under its 鈥楪olden Arches.鈥 Enough is enough.鈥
The named plaintiff in the suit, 32-year-old former McDonald鈥檚 worker Jenna Ries, has also filed a charge against McDonald鈥檚 with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The complaint alleges a swing manager frequently propositioned Ries for sex on the job, called her epithets in front of other workers and the general manager, and frequently grabbed her. In one alleged incident, the manager placed his penis in Ries鈥檚 hand when they were working next to each other in the kitchen. In another, he cornered Ries in the store鈥檚 walk-in freezer, pinning her against a wall. Ries responded to the manager鈥檚 harassment by begging him, 鈥渟top,鈥 鈥渘o,鈥 鈥渓eave me alone,鈥 and 鈥渄o not touch me,鈥 but he only yelled at her and threatened to have her fired.
鈥淚 lived in constant fear of losing my job because I didn鈥檛 want to be treated like trash, and because I didn鈥檛 give in to my harasser鈥檚 disgusting behavior,鈥 said Ries. "It drove me to tears, and ultimately left me no choice but to take action. I鈥檓 speaking out now to make sure what happened to me doesn鈥檛 happen to anyone else at McDonald鈥檚."
A former Detroit McDonald鈥檚 worker filed a separate charge Tuesday with the EEOC, alleging a manager asked how she鈥檇 feel if he and another coworker 鈥渞an a train鈥 on her, referring to sex with multiple partners. When she reported the incident, she was transferred to another store and her hours were cut, forcing her to quit.
鈥淒espite superficial attempts by McDonald鈥檚 to address sexual harassment, today鈥檚 suit and EEOC complaint show the problem persists,鈥 said Eve Cervantez, an attorney with Altshuler Berzon who represents many of the McDonald鈥檚 workers who have filed complaints in recent years. 鈥淢cDonald鈥檚 is the leader of the country鈥檚 fast-food industry, yet these complaints show McDonald鈥檚 is among fast-food鈥檚 worst offenders when it comes to protecting the workers who make the company鈥檚 success possible. Employees should not have to endure violation of their humanity and bodily autonomy as the price of earning a paycheck.鈥
Over the past three years, McDonald鈥檚 has largely ignored its frontline workers alleging illegal harassment in both corporate and franchise McDonald鈥檚 restaurants. Many of those who have spoken up about harassment have felt the brunt of retaliation, alleging reduced hours and unwarranted discipline to being fired or forced to leave their jobs.
鈥淲e鈥檙e demanding McDonald鈥檚 new CEO, Chris Kempczinski, sit down with worker-survivors and hear our stories,鈥 said Jamelia Fairley, a leader in the Fight for $15 and a Union and a McDonald鈥檚 worker from Sanford, Florida, who filed a sexual harassment complaint against the company earlier this year. 鈥淢cDonald鈥檚 needs to let survivors and our advocates drive the solution. Nothing is going to change for us, without us.鈥
McDonald鈥檚 workers who have experienced harassment on the job can call the 老澳门开奖结果 Women's Rights Project at (212) 549-2644 or complete a form online here: