McDonald's Employees File Federal Complaints for Sexual Harassment Claims

McDonald’s restaurants’ employees have filed 15 federal complaints against the fast food chain for sexual harassment claims.

According to a release from Fight for 15, the complaints, filed at both corporate and franchise McDonald’s stores, reveal instances where workers alerted general managers and McDonald’s corporate staff after experiencing sexual harassment on the job.

According to the complaint, the claims went unaddressed, or in some cases were met with retaliation from managers.

 The workers are demanding McDonald’s enforce the zero-tolerance policy against sexual harassment outlined in its Operations and Training and Policies for Franchisees manuals.

“As the country’s second-largest employer, McDonald’s has a responsibility to set standards in both the fast-food industry and the economy overall,” said Kendall Fells, organizing director of the Fight for $15. “Cooks and cashiers are going to keep on joining together, speaking out and taking every step possible to make sure McDonald’s follows its own policies and gets sexual harassment off of the menu.” 

In one complaint, Folsom, Calif. McDonald’s worker Kristi Maisenbach alleges her supervisor, “grabbed [her] breasts on several occasions and would intentionally rub his genitals against [her] butt.”

According to the release, the same supervisor sent Maisenbach a text message offering $1,000 for oral sex and became hostile to her when she complained to her general manager. Her hours were reduced and she was forced to quit because she could no longer make a living at McDonald’s.

In response to the complaint filings, employers announced a wave of lunchtime rush hour protests Thursday at McDonald’s restaurants in three-dozen cities.

Workers will carry signs that read, “McDonald’s, I’m Not on the Menu,” and “McDonald’s, Put Some Respect in My Check.” 

Share this article: