No More Burger Brawls: McDonald’s Employees Sue for Company Failure to Mediate Workplace Violence

According to a report by CNBC, in Chicago, 911 receives, on average, more than 20 calls from McDonald’s restaurants every day. This information has come to light as part of a lawsuit that 17 plaintiffs, all Chicago-based McDonald’s employees, are filing against the company for failure to minimize workplace violence.

The suit alleges that, as a landlord, McDonald’s Corp. has failed to design stores in such a way as to mitigate potential customer-on-employee violence, and has also failed to provide property safety and conflict resolution training for employees. In August, the brand announced a new anti-violence training program, but the 17 employees claim that they have yet to receive any such materials.

McDonald’s is in the midst of rather expensive renovations in a majority of its stores, implementing self-serve kiosks in nearly two-thirds of U.S. restaurants already. This suit aims to stop the renovations until a safer design plan is created.

This is not a great time for the McDonald’s brand image, as the well-known burger brand has found its name in headlines amid sexual harassment suits and the ousting of former CEO Steve Easterbrook over a relationship with an employee last month. According to CNBC, new CEO Chris Kempczinski made a company-wide announcement asking for employee feedback, and it looks like workers and franchisees alike are taking action on some long-held grievances.