McDonald’s U.S. is in trouble as several workers in Chicago have filed a lawsuit against the company for allegedly putting workers at risk of contracting COVID-19.
According to Reuters, the plaintiffs’ case says that the fast-food chain did not provide its workers with adequate safety equipment. They also said that McDonald’s was not in full compliance with government safety guidelines, and was needlessly putting workers and their families at risk.
The accusations against McDonald’s
The workers are claiming that the fast-food giant did not provide enough of the basic personal protective equipment (PPEs) for their frontline workers.
They are claiming that there wasn’t enough sanitizer available for workers and customers alike. McDonald’s was also allegedly asking them to reuse masks.
The company also reportedly put their employees at risk when it failed to report that a co-worker of theirs was infected by the coronavirus.
The workers’ demands from the court
The workers are asking the court to force McDonald’s to provide enough PPEs to their employees at all times. This means that they should also stop asking employees to reuse their masks, as this increases the risk of infection its wearer.
They also wanted the fast-food chain to require its customers to wear masks whenever inside a McDonald’s restaurant. And finally, they also want the courts to ensure that the company will inform their employees the moment any of their co-workers test positive for the virus.
McDonald’s response to the accusations
McDonald’s, meanwhile, told The Hill that these accusations were inaccurate and that the company was doing what it needs to do to ensure crew safety.
In a statement, they said that “Crew and managers are the heart and soul of the restaurants in which they work, and their safety and well-being is a top priority that guides our decision making.”
They also said that they were dedicated to ensuring safety measures were being strictly followed by all personnel, including “…wellness checks, protective barriers, adhering to social distancing guidelines for customers and crew, using gloves and masks, increasing the frequency of handwashing and moving to contactless operations.”
The company had distributed 100 million face masks to all of their branches across the U.S. and requires that all of their employees use masks and gloves at all times. They have also updated up to 50 of their production processes in order to ensure crew safety at all times.
McDonald’s is the latest in a string of class action suits against corporations that allegedly put their workers at risk of catching Covid-19.
Images courtesy of ATIKAN PORNCHAIPRASIT/Shutterstock, Ken Lund/Flickr, Marco Verch/Flickr.