McDonald’s was sued by Jenna Ries, a female former employee at the company. The lawsuit was filed yesterday with the United States Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). It was filed at the Ingham County Circuit Court in Michigan.
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McDonald’s, “one of the largest employers in the country, creates and permits a toxic work culture from the very top – as reflected by former-CEO Steve Easterbrook’s recent firing for an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate in violation of company policy. And throughout its thousands of restaurants within the United States that employ over one million workers,” per the court filing. Easterbrook was fired last week for a consensual relationship with an employee. The relationship violated company policy, but he is not accused of sexual harassment. He will receive a multi-million-dollar exit package.
Furthermore, “The General Manager stood by and did nothing to protect the workers. Despite being on notice of pervasive problems of sexual harassment nationwide, McDonald’s fails to address such unlawful sexual harassment and the company culture that enables it,” the lawsuit continues. “McDonald’s pays lip service to training its restaurant staff, but does nothing to assure such training actually takes place or actually succeeds in preventing harassment. On information and belief, McDonald’s also does nothing to train managers in responding to harassment.”
More than 50 former female employees at the Michigan franchise could join the lawsuit. The class-action suit attempts to get $5 million in damages for workers at the Mason, Michigan, location.
McDonald’s Reply
“There is a deeply important conversation around safe and respectful workplaces in communities throughout the U.S. and around the world,” the company says. “McDonald’s is demonstrating its continued commitment to this issue.”
Reference:
- https://www.npr.org/2019/11/12/778530312/mcdonalds-is-sued-over-systemic-sexual-harassment-of-female-workers
