May 21, 2019

25 new sexual harassment charges brought against McDonald's

Orion Rummler

In this image, a line of protestors link arms while standing in front of a red banner — McDonald's workers and other activists protest sexual harassment at the fast food chain's restaurants on Sept. 18, 2018, in Chicago. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

25 McDonald's employees have filed sexual harassment charges against their employer, as announced on Tuesday by the ACLU, the labor group Fight for $15 and TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, NBC reports.

The big picture: These new complaints and lawsuits indicate a growing problem in McDonald's restaurants. Last year, the fast-food chain's employees in 8 states filed complaints with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), alleging they faced sexual harassment, lewd comments and retaliation on the job.

Details: The new charges include "claims of groping, indecent exposure, propositions for sex, and lewd comments by supervisors," per NBC. One attorney said that some of the workers coming forward with complaints of sexual harassment were as young as 16 or 17 at the time of the incidents.

Young workforces are more vulnerable to harassment, according to the EEOC. McDonald's reports that "the average age of an 'hourly-paid' employee is 20."

The bottom line: McDonald's claims it is developing anti-harassment measures, but employees at Tuesday's announcement said they have seen no evidence of any changes. Workers are demanding that the company "sit down with them to chart a path forward to end sexual harassment at the company's restaurants once and for all," according to a TIME'S UP press release on Tuesday.

Go deeper: McDonald's workers say #MeToo in nationwide strike

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25 new sexual harassment charges brought against McDonald's

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