25 More Employees Say They Were Sexually Harassed While Working At McDonald's

By Lauren Rearick


A 19-year-old is among 25 McDonald’s personnel who have come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct, citing instances they mention occurred at restaurants and the chain’s corporate headquarters, USA Today reports.


In an interview with The New York Times, 19-year-old Brittany Hoyos elaborate the misconduct she had endured in 2016 as a 16-year-old employee of a Tucson, Arizona, McDonald’s. (Most McDonald’s locations are franchised by individual owners; the ACLU Women’s Rights Project instructed them NYT such structuring has ultimately served as a “shield” against employee misconduct.) She mentioned that the restaurant's manager had tried to kiss her, contacted her outdoor of work through text, and repeatedly made attempts to touch her. "He nearly took every possibility to touch me or brush up against me," she said.


Hoyos blamed herself, telling The New York Times, “I just thought that was something that you would have to put up with. I was embarrassed. I felt like I was at fault or that I had done something wrong.”


She had instructed her parents, who instructed her supervisor, nevertheless Hoyos mentioned she and her mother, who also worked at the restaurant, were subject to retaliation. Both later made the choice to left their jobs.


On Tuesday, May 21, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, as well as the American Civil Liberties Union, and the Fight For $15 held a news conference detailing the allegations that staff mention they were subjected to. NBC News reports the announced misconduct included acts of groping, lewd comments, and indecent exposure, and were directed at personnel who were as young as 16 or 17 at the time of the incidents. Staff allege that whenever they brought forth their concerns, they were “ignored or treated as a joke.” Others were reportedly reprimanded and suffered a loss of scheduled working hours and even termination.


The allegations were reported because the corporation ready to hold its annual shareholders meeting on Thursday, May 23. In response, McDonald’s staff held protests in 13 different cities on Thursday, demanding change. A couple of politicians, including 2020 Democratic hopefuls, supported the workers; some even marched with them.


In an open letter to McDonald’s on its website, the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund explained its involvement, and accused the chain of inadequately answering to previous allegations that were brought forth more than each year ago. “It’s time for McDonald’s to take affirmative steps to change the dangerous conditions that have persisted at your locations around the globe,” the letter reads.


In a statement, Sharyn Tejani, director of the TIME'S UP Legal Defense Fund, said, “It's a brutal reality across the fast food industry that at least one in four workers — especially girls of color working low-wage jobs — experience sexual harassment as a routine segment of their job. Day-to-day, workers are forced to pick between getting a paycheck or speaking up about their abuse. As soon as they report harassment, workers can typically fired or have their shifts cut — and since nothing is done to stop it, the scourge continues."


CNBC reports that McDonald’s CEO, Steve Easterbrook defended his business, noting that McDonald’s has been working with RAINN to better educate its personnel about what constitutes sexual harassment. He also responded to the allegations in a letter, writing, “By strengthening our in general policy, creating interactive training, a third-party managed anonymous hotline and importantly, listening to personnel across the system, McDonald’s is sending a clear message that we are devoted to creating and maintaining a culture of trust where personnel feel safe, valued and respected.”


Forty percent of females employed by fast food corporations mention they have experienced harassment at work, a 2016 from Hart Statistics Associates detailed. More than 1,000 ladies participated in the study, and the results pointed to a startling trend: 28 percent of these surveyed had experienced harassment on countless occasions.


because the fast food industry continues to contend with announced misconduct, Christine Saah Nazer, spokesperson for the Equal Employment Possibility Commission, told MTV News that staff can take action to report alleged misconduct. As well as understanding your rights to a workplace that’s free of discrimination and harassment, she notes that “harassment should be announced to your supervisor and/or the company’s human resources department.” If the issues goes unresolved, there really are resources on filing a complaining with the EEOC online or in-person.


MTV News has reached out to McDonald’s for comment.