McDonald’s isn’t protecting workers against coronavirus, employee lawsuit says
McDonald’s workers have sued the fast-food chain, claiming that it didn’t protect employees during the COVID-19 pandemic, media outlets reported.
Five McDonald’s employees in Chicago and some of their family members filed a class-action lawsuit on Tuesday, CNBC reported.
The workers allege McDonald’s didn’t give them enough hand sanitizer, masks and gloves and that one restaurant only gave them out after employees staged a strike, CNBC reported, citing the lawsuit. The restaurant allegedly gave the workers one mask each that had to be worn every shift.
The workers said McDonald’s didn’t tell staff when a fellow worker got sick with COVID-19, according to Reuters, citing the lawsuit.
The employees also asked the Illinois state court to issue an injunction and force McDonald’s to require customers wear face coverings, stop having employees reuse masks, and alert them if a co-worker has gotten sick, Reuters reported.
McDonald’s responded in a statement that 50 safety procedures have been updated, including “wellness checks, protective barriers, adhering to social-distancing guidelines for customers and crew, using gloves and masks, increasing the frequency of hand washing and moving to contactless operations,” according to Bloomberg.
The chain also said the allegations are “inaccurate” and safety is “a top priority,” according to Reuters.
Hundreds of McDonald’s workers are planning to strike in 20 cities on Wednesday to try to push the chain to improve COVID-19 protections, USA Today reported.
McDonald’s workers have gotten COVID-19 in at least 17 states, according to labor organizers, USA Today reported. A survey found that in a sample size of more than 800 workers, 46% said they came to work when they felt sick because they were afraid of penalties, and 42% said they were told not to wear gloves and masks, according to the outlet.
The company denied the allegations, saying that the group wasn’t representative of all McDonald’s workers and it was a “publicity stunt,” according to USA Today.
The chain sent a guidance to its franchises last week outlining changes for reopening restaurants, CNBC reported.
McDonald’s asked restaurants to enforce social distancing, turn off soda fountains if a worker isn’t available to operate them, and clean bathrooms every 30 minutes, according to CNBC.
This story was originally published May 19, 2020 at 6:15 PM.