Employees from 13 McDonald's restaurants across Chicago filed a lawsuit against the company on Thursday for putting workers at "daily risk" of violence. As ABC 7 Chicago reports, the group of 17 employees said McDonald's has not put enough consideration into the safety of workers, citing the threat of dangerous customers.
In the lawsuit filed in Cook County Court, the workers have said there is a "citywide and nationwide" pattern of recurring violence. Police reportedly have to respond to over 20 911 calls each day in McDonald's branches in Chicago. A number of specifically violent incidents were noted in the lawsuit, including the time a customer urinated on one of the workers.
"McDonald's has failed, at a systemic level, to protect its workers from violence in the workplace," said the group of employees' attorney Danny Rosenthal. "Throughout the country, McDonald's workers are regularly threatened, assaulted, and injured by customers." The lawsuit additionally claims McDonald's has cut corners in an attempt to increase profits, making the restaurants in Chicago even more dangerous. The company has allegedly ignored the "recommended practice" of installing drive-thru windows that do not allow customers to crawl through them.
In response to the lawsuit, McDonald's said it takes the safety of its employees very seriously. "McDonald's takes seriously its responsibility to provide and foster a safe working environment for our employees, and along with our franchisees, continue to make investments in training programs that uphold safe environments for customers and crew members," the statement from the company reads.
This isn't the only problem McDonald's has run into this month, as it was announced that the CEO of the company stepped down after having a consensual relationship with an employee.
