It would be difficult for Bay Area residents to find a person that has not patronized a McDonald’s at some point. The fast food chain has locations globally, and one would be hard-pressed to find a city in the United States that does not have one. On the surface, McDonald’s has a family-friendly reputation, even using a slogan that includes the words “serving up smiles.” Employees of the burger giant don’t seem to be smiling, however, and McDonald’s now faces rampant accusations of sexual harassment nationwide.
One employee told investigators that she experienced sexual harassment over the span of many months while working at McDonald’s. The woman, a mother, even reported crude comments that were made about her infant daughter, for whom she was working so hard to support. She did the right thing and reported the abuse, but upon doing so, her hours were reduced and nothing was done to stop the harassment.
This is not the first time that McDonald’s has faced similar legal action for allegations of sexual harassment. The current lawsuit includes approximately 23 complaints, and there may be more victims that come forward as the fight becomes more public. McDonald’s is one of the nation’s major employers, and people should be able to feel safe and not fear abuse and unfair repercussions from reporting abuse at work.
If a Bay Area employee is facing a similar situation, he or she may feel frightened. Hard-working people value their jobs, and may hesitate to report sexual harassment for fear of retaliation. A compassionate attorney can help a victim take his or her grievance to the courtroom, while fighting protect his or her rights and hold the employer responsible for allowing such abuse to harm an employee.
