In the age of the MeToo movement, many people think employers and workers would be on their best behavior to prevent wrongdoing.
Instead, allegations of sexual harassment continue to surface. While some of these instances may be rogue bad actors in a place of employment, which by no means diminishes the severity of sexual harassment, other instances may be indicative of a larger problem.
That is the claim being made by two McDonald’s workers on behalf of themselves and 5,000 other women. Their lawsuit, filed here in Florida, alleges female employees at McDonald’s are frequently subjected to sexual harassment in both physical and verbal forms, perpetrated upon them by both coworkers and customers.
The women allege that after reporting the harassment, their hours were cut and one of them was subsequently fired. They also claim McDonald’s has failed to implement practices to prevent sexual harassment.
Harassment problems in the fast food industry
Although McDonald’s denies the allegations, the statistics surrounding sexual harassment in the fast food industry are staggering.
In fact, one study from not long ago found that 40 percent of women who worked in fast food reported being subjected to sexual harassment while on the job. There are surely scores of instances of sexual harassment that go unreported, too.
Retaliation is cruel
There can be a lot at stake in these cases. Retaliation, like what occurred in the McDonald’s case, is often a very real and illegal action that follows the report of sexual harassment. Retaliation can leave a worker with serious emotional and financial damage.
With so much on the line, the parties to these disputes must protect themselves as fully as possible, which may mean seeking help from an experienced attorney.