Back in the day, a job at a fast food restaurant like McDonald’s was like a rite of passage. It was seen as a starter job, which is probably why the chain decided to run an ad campaign calling itself “America’s best first job.” However, it appears that McDonald’s has a long way to go to actually fulfill that title, according to a series of complaints filed to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) about the company. The series of complaints—filed in cities across the country—allege that sexual harassment is a systemic problem at the fast-food chain, and McDonald’s needs to take meaningful action now.
The complaints are a part of an initiative by the Fight For $15, an organization that organizes low-wage workers for better pay and working conditions, and funded by the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund. The complainants say that McDonald’s has ignored its own zero tolerance policy for sexual harassment, including groping, inappropriate comments by supervisors, and attempted sexual assault.
The ten women filed complaints in Chicago, Detroit, Durham, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, Orlando, and St. Louis. While their stories are different, they all say that McDonald’s failed to create a safe working environment; some said they faced retaliation or had their reports simply ignored.
“The #MeToo movement may have changed things for actresses in Hollywood, but these new charges show that sexual harassment is still on the menu at McDonald’s,” said Adriana Alvarez, a McDonald’s worker from Chicago and member of the Fight for 15 National Organizing Committee, in a statement. “With support from the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, workers in the Fight for $15 now have a powerful ally in our ongoing effort to make McDonald’s restaurants safe places for all workers.”
On the heels of the announcement, Fight for 15 and nearly 20 other organizations bought a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune with an open letter calling out McDonald’s to do the right thing. It ran on Thursday, the same day the company held its annual shareholders meeting.
“Today, McDonald’s has a choice,” the closing paragraph states. “Be a trailblazer for safe, dignified and fair workplaces for all, or face the rejection of your company by people of conscience.”
While these lawsuits focus on McDonald’s, there’s hope that these complaints will shine a light to improve working conditions for all fast-food workers. Sexual harassment is a widespread problem in the industry. According to a survey conducted for the National Partnership for Women and Families, the Ms. Foundation and Futures without Violence, 40 percent of female workers said they experience unwanted sexual behavior on the job.
If you are or know a fast-food worker in need of legal help for sexual harassment, the Fight for $15 and TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund have an intake form to connect those in need to assistance.