If you're planning on grabbing lunch at McDonald's Tuesday, September 18, be aware that the restaurant might be a little short-staffed.
McDonald's employees are reportedly planning a one-day strike, that will begin during the lunch rush hours, according to the Associated Press.
Dozens of restaurants, across 10 U.S. cities are said to be affected by a walkout that was organized by "women's committees," as employees feel McDonald's has ignored sexual harassment complaints in the workplace.
The Fight For 15 organization, a movement for higher wages in the fast food industry, boldly Tweeted out that there have been instances of "groping, propositions for sex, and other illegal behavior in its stores."
BREAKING: Fed up with McDonald’s failure to address groping, propositions for sex and other illegal behavior in its stores, workers announced today we will wage the first-ever nationwide strike to combat sexual harassment September 18 https://t.co/2XgzqGlVT4 #FightFor15 #MeToo pic.twitter.com/FcxvI61hcV
— Fight For 15 (@fightfor15) September 12, 2018
A recent example of complaints can be traced to a 2017 lawsuit, where a transgender former employee sued McDonald's after alleging she got fired for reporting sexual harassment.
There have also been quotes from employees and former employees shared online, making anonymous harassment claims such as, "My coworker came up behind me, reached his arms around me, and grabbed my private area. I felt helpless after my managers did not take my complaint seriously."
McDonald's doesn't take sexual harassment reports seriously. We're standing up to say enough is enough. https://t.co/vGmjqOb4lg #FightFor15 #MeToo pic.twitter.com/fcmAnmpEOj
— Fight for $15 LA (@Fightfor15LA) September 14, 2018
Another example from an Inc.com article quotes, "Kimberly Lawson, an employee at a franchise in Kansas City, said her supervisor sent her home early after she refused his sexual advances. She said she reported the incident with her general manager with no result. "
McDonald's has not taken sexual harassment and retaliation from supervisors seriously. Low-wage workers are too often the victims. https://t.co/7my4TG4Rsc #FightFor15 #MeToo pic.twitter.com/QGO50dFlUZ
— Fight For 15 (@fightfor15) September 14, 2018
Foodbeast reached out to McDonald's about the strike, and the company stated:
“There is no place for harassment or discrimination of any kind at McDonald’s. Since our founding, we’ve been committed to a culture that fosters the respectful treatment of everyone. We have policies, procedures and training in place that are specifically designed to prevent sexual harassment at our company and company-owned restaurants, and we firmly believe that our franchisees share this commitment.
Today, in addition to our existing initiatives, we are engaging third party experts known for their expertise in the areas of prevention and response including, RAINN and Seyfarth Shaw at Work, to evolve our policies, procedures and training. We will continue—as we always have—to look at ways to do even more to ensure that McDonald’s values are reflected in every restaurant, every day.”
McDonald's did not address any preventative measures being taken for the strike, but it could affect a lot of customers, as the walkout is being planned for the lunch rush, and no specific stores have been identified as participants, so far.
The extent of public knowledge is that stores in Chicago, Durham, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Orlando, San Francisco, and St. Louis are all believed to be affected.
