Harassment strikers stage marches against the Arches
NEW ORLEANS — Mcdonald’s workers staged protests in several cities Tuesday in what organizers billed as the first multistate strike seeking to combat sexual harassment in the workplace.
In Chicago, one of the targeted cities, several dozen protesters rallied in front of Mcdonald’s headquarters while a plane flew overhead with a banner reading, “Mcdonald’s: Stop Sexual Harassment.” In New Orleans, current and former employees chanted, “Hey, Mcdonald’s, you can’t hide. We can see your nasty side.”
Other protests were held in San Francisco; Los Angeles; St. Louis; Kansas City, Missouri; and Durham, North Carolina.
Protesters demanded that Mcdonald’s require anti-harassment training for managers and employees. They also want a national committee formed to address sexual harassment, made up of workers, managers and leaders of national women’s groups.
Mcdonald’s declined to comment on the protests, saying it stood by a statement issued last week defending its anti-harassment policies. The company also disclosed last week that it will turn to outside experts to help “evolve” those policies, including consultants from Seyfarth Shaw at Work, an employment law training firm.
Protest organizers called on Mcdonald’s to drop Seyfarth Shaw, depicting it as an “anti-worker law firm.” They noted that it has defended the Weinstein Co. in a lawsuit over sexual harassment allegations against former Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein.
At the New Orleans protest, Mcdonald’s employees arrived at a restaurant with red tape over their mouths emblazoned with the #Metoo phrase. They pulled off the tape to chant their slogans.
In San Francisco, more than 50 workers and activists protested outside a Mcdonald’s in the Mission District. Among them was Achon Hightower, a Burger King employee who came from Sacramento to show support for fellow fast-food workers.
“There’s a lot of sexual harassment going on behind closed doors,” he said.