Although Texas residents and people throughout the nation are feeling greater freedom to lodge complaints about sexual harassment at work, these incidents still happen with troubling regularity. They can occur in any type of work environment, including large corporations. One recent case that may rise to class action status accuses McDonald’s of ignoring sexual harassment at its corporate-owned restaurants.
Two women who worked at a Florida McDonald’s assert they were sexually harassed. They also make other employment claims against the company. A prominent charity called Time’s Up is backing the filing. Hollywood celebrities are involved with Time’s Up. The women are two of around 5,000 women who were employed at restaurants and complained about workplace violations. All of the locations are in Florida. The suit was filed in Illinois with one restaurant as its centerpiece.
One of the women, 24, says she was sexually harassed by two co-workers. She endured comments about her body and unwanted contact. After she complained, her hours were cut. The other woman, 28, was physically and verbally harassed by a male colleague. He showed her sexual images of himself and touched her inappropriately. She says she was fired for complaining about it. Another sexual-harassment-related class action lawsuit has been filed in Michigan.
The #MeToo movement is well-known across the US. People who have been sexually harassed are undoubtedly aware of it and that there is recourse for mistreatment. Still, people may be reticent to speak up for fear of retaliation. Being sexually harassed can involve jokes, comments, attempts to forge a relationship, a refusal to accept no as an answer and unwanted physical contact. For people who have faced sexual harassment at work, a law firm experienced in employment cases may help with pursuing a claim to be compensated.
