At least 10 women who've worked at McDonald's locations in nine different cities are filing sexual harassment complaints against the fast food company with the help of the TIMES UP Legal Defense Fund and Fight for $15, an organization that campaigns to raise pay for low-wage workers.
As reported by the Associated Press, the Time's Up fund, which was established on Jan. 1, 2018, is covering legal costs associated with filing the complaints. Incensed by the momentum of the #MeToo movement, a group of Hollywood actresses unveiled Time's Up as an initiative with a legal fund reserved for this very purpose.
Among the complaints are allegations from a 15-year-old McDonald's employee who accused supervisors of alleged groping, propositions for sex, indecent exposure, and lewd comments. The Associated Press reports that complains say women were ignored, mocked, or even suffered retaliation when they reported the alleged harassment. A McDonald's spokeswoman responded, saying the company takes these allegations seriously.
This isn't the first time sexual harassment claims have been filed against McDonald's, a company that showed its support for women by flipping its sign upside down on International Women's Day. Fight for $15 lodged complaints on behalf of workers two years ago, reports the Associated Press, and McDonald's promised a review of the allegations. The spokeswoman didn't say in her recent statement whether McDonald's changed any policies as a result of its promised review.
Eve Cervantez, a lawyer working on the new complaints, told the Associated Press the complaints represent an effort to extend #MeToo to low-wage women who don't draw as much attention as harassment victims in Hollywood and the media. Though the lack of attention is meritless. A 2016 study from Hart Research Associates found that around 40 percent of women in the fast food industry have experienced unwanted sexual behavior on the job, and 42 percent of those women felt they just had to accept it because they couldn't afford to lose their jobs.
