McDonald's Workers To Strike Over Sexual Harassment

(RTTNews) - McDonald's Corp. (MCD) workers in ten U.S. cities are planning a one-day strike and will walk out on Tuesday to protest the fast-food giant's alleged failure to prevent sexual harassment in the workplace.

Hundreds of workers in Chicago, Durham, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Orlando, San Francisco and St. Louis will walk out of restaurants at lunchtime to highlight their struggle and call on McDonald's to take action to protect women from sexual harassment.

The strike comes after ten former and current employees of McDonald's filed sexual harassment complaints with the federal government against the company in May. The complaints filed against McDonald's were similar to the sexual harassment allegations filed earlier against it by fifteen individuals in 2016.

The women filed the complaints with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission or EEOC and are receiving support from Fight for $15, which is organizing the effort. The TIME's UP Legal Defense Fund is covering legal fees for the women.

Fight for $15 is working to have McDonald's designated a "joint employer" of workers at the fast food giant's franchisees and thereby be held liable if the franchisees violate labor laws.

In addition, Fight for $15 has urged McDonald's to do mandatory company-wide training on a zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy as well as create a more safe and effective internal complaint system that workers can use.

In response to news about the strike, McDonald's said in a statement, "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."

Further, McDonald's said it has policies, procedures and training in place that are specifically designed to prevent sexual harassment at the company and company-owned restaurants, and firmly believes its franchisees share this commitment.

The company added it has engaged third-party experts RAINN, an anti-sexual violence organization, and legal compliance firm Seyfarth Shaw at Work, to evolve its policies, procedures and training.