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International organization's complaint says sexual harassment pervades McDonald's worldwide

The Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development has filed a complaint seeking McDonald's action on alleged sexual harassment at its locations globally.

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May 19, 2020

"A rotten culture from the top" was how one food workers union leader referred to McDonald's during a press conference around a complaint filed by an international labor union coalition that alleges the fast-food giant is plagued by sexual harassment worldwide, according to The Guardian. 

The unions filed the complaint with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's offices in the Netherlands. The complaint details instances of alleged harassment at McDonald's in the U.S., Brazil and France. It is the first case ever filed related to sexual assault at a multinational organization, according to the organization. 

The complaint alleges that the Chicago-based QSR brand hasn't followed the organization's Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises. The unions involved in the action told the Guardian that if the complaint had been filed in the U.S. where McDonald's is located, "it would be met with 'unclean hands,' on McDonald's' part because sexual harassment 'permeates the top ranks of corporate management' there," according to the Guardian. 

The complaint seeks to get McDonald's to create a plan with the organization to fight sexual harassment at the burger chain globally. No monetary award is sought in the action. 

"There's a rotten culture from the top," International Union of Foodworkers General Secretary Sue Longley, said at a news conference in Rio de Janeiro and said McDonald's had "failed dismally to take meaningful action about."

McDonald's Corporation released this statement to QSRweb this morning in response to the complaint:

"There is a deeply important conversation around safe and respectful workplaces in communities throughout the U.S. and around the world. McDonald's is a people first company, and we know that crew are the heart and soul of every restaurant. Around the world we believe that McDonald's and its business partners have a responsibility to take action on this issue and are committed to promoting positive change. We will review the complaint when we receive it." 

The company did not respond to information on why it had not yet received a copy of the complaint. In August 2019, McDonald's USA implemented an expansive training program grounded in support of safe and respectful workplaces. 

Union leaders have previously claimed that part of the problem in resolving these types of issues is that McDonald's believes it's not responsible for employees of franchised operations. Worldwide, 90% of the brand's locations are franchised, according to the Guardian.