McDonald's Sued For Discrimination - A group of ex-employee of McDonald's fast food chain are suing the Illinois-based company as well one of its franchises in Virginia for alleged racial discrimination and sexual harassment.
The plaintiffs, who number about 10 in total, were all fired last year because they allegedly didn't fit the company's profile.
About 9 of the plaintiffs, who are African American, were reportedly dismissed in May 2014, while one of them, a 53-year-old Hispanic woman, who had been with the company for over two decades, was fired in July.
In the lawsuit filed in a court in the western district of Virginia on Thursday, the plaintiffs claim that they "were subjected to rampant racial and sexual harassment, committed by the restaurants' highest-ranking supervisors."
The lawsuit says the supervisors complained that "there are too many black people in the store," and referred to African-American employees with inappropriate expletives like "bitch," "ghetto," and "ratchet." They also referred to the Hispanic employees as "dirty Mexicans." Additionally, the plaintiffs claim they were disciplined for simple mistakes that were usually forgiven when it was committed by their white colleagues. The females among them claim that they were groped, sent sexual pictures and that supervisors accosted them for sex.
The plaintiff, who are being supported by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), and The Fight for $15, say they had attempted to reach out to McDonald's to remedy their situation unsuccessfully.
Despite the fact that the McDonald's restaurants where these incident happened are franchised outlets, the plaintiffs claim that the company still has some level of control over its franchises.
In a statement, McDonald's said that it will review the lawsuit before commenting on the charges. Nonetheless, the company noted that it has "a long-standing history of embracing the diversity of employees, independent Franchises, customers and suppliers, and discrimination is completely inconsistent with our values."
Meanwhile, Michael Simon, the owner of the franchises that have been sued (Soweva Co.), has not made any comment on the lawsuit. In the past he has denied that the accusation saying that discrimination is not tolerated in his restaurants.
This is the first lawsuit brought against McDonald's since the National Labor Relations Board ruled that the company is culpable in lawsuits brought against its franchises last month. Many experts say it will serve as a yardstick for similar trials in the future against the behemoth fast food chain.
