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Women's Rights Activist Target McDonald's Shareholders

Paul Ausick

Published: May 24, 2018 9:15 am

Last Updated: January 11, 2020 11:13 pm

Shareholders attending the McDonald’s Corp. (NYSE: MCD) annual meeting Thursday in Chicago are being greeted by letter running as a full-page ad in the Chicago Tribune demanding that the company do more to address allegations of sexual harassment of female workers. The letter is signed by a coalition of 18 groups.

The letter calls on McDonald’s to use “its enormous power and influence to guarantee safe and dignified workplaces for all employees.”

Earlier this week company employees filed 10 charges with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission alleging illegal conduct at McDonald’s stores in nine cities. The filings include charges sexual harassment and retaliation.

The letter calls on McDonald’s to enforce the company’s policy prohibiting sexual harassment, to conduct mandatory training sessions for managers and employees on sexual harassment, and to create a safe and effective mechanism for receiving — and responding to — complaints from employees who report sexual harassment. The letter concludes:

Today, McDonald’s has a choice: Be a trailblazer for safe, dignified and fair workplaces for all, or face the rejection of your company by people of conscience.

The groups that signed the letter include A Better Balance; Chicago Alliance Against Sexual Exploitation; Coalition Against Workplace Sexual Violence; Fight for $15; Futures Without Violence; Healing to Action; Moms Rising; Mujeres Latinas en Acción; NARAL Pro-Choice America; National Domestic Workers Alliance; National Employment Law Project; National Organization for Women; National Partnership for Women & Families; National Women’s Law Center; Rape Victim Advocates; Restaurant Opportunities Centers Chicago; The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights and The Women’s March. The ad was paid for by Fight for $15.