'Hands Off My Buns': McDonald's Workers Allege Sex Harassment

In one case, employee says supervisor rubbed his genitals on her
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 6, 2016 11:25 AM CDT
'Hands Off My Buns': McDonald's Workers Allege Sex Harassment
Protests are expected at McDonald's locations in 30 cities on Thursday.   (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko, File)

Workers once swarmed McDonald's to protest low wages. At lunchtime on Thursday, workers in more than 30 US cities will protest another gripe: sexual harassment. Some 15 sexual harassment complaints from eight states have been filed against McDonald's and its franchises in the past month, alleging employees were groped, shown lewd photos, and asked for sexual favors, reports the Guardian. Only one refers to a restaurant owned by the corporation. In a complaint referring to a franchise store, an employee says a supervisor offered her $1,000 for oral sex and would grab her breasts and "intentionally rub his genitals against [her] butt." The woman says her hours were cut when she complained.

"McDonald's monitors everything we do—from how fast the drive-thru is moving, to how we fold our customers' bags. Yet when I filed a complaint against my shift manager for regularly sexually harassing me—which included him showing me a photo of his genitals—McDonald's had no response," reads a separate complaint. Another employee claims his manager called him a homophobic slur, per the Huffington Post. The Fight for $15 group pushing for a $15 minimum wage—which claims the victims are fellow activists—is organizing the protest where workers will carry signs reading, "Hands off my buns." A rep says McDonald's is "reviewing the allegations" and has "no place for harassment and discrimination of any kind." (More McDonald's stories.)

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