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Transgender woman claims she was groped, bullied when employed at McDonald's franchise

Groping, merciless bullying and relegation to a storage closet restroom are among the claims that a transgender woman is making against a McDonald's in Michigan where she worked in 2015.

June 19, 2017

Groping, merciless bullying and relegation to a storage closet restroom are among the claims that a transgender woman is making against a McDonald's in Michigan where when she worked in 2015.

The filing in Wayne Circuit Court asks for policy changes at the brand. Huffington Post reported that the suit has also earned support from Fight for $15,which claims that the suit echoes others that prove McDonald's fails its LGBTQ workers. In her Michigan  court filing, La'Ray Reed said that management at the location failed to take action when as an employee, she said:

• A manager directed her co-worker to grab her crotch. 
• Another co-worker was told to find out if La'Ray stood or sat in the restroom. 
• She was assigned to clean and use the toilet in a room that doubled as a storage closet.

McDonald's has said it's not legally responsible for the actions of its franchisees. That assertion is also currently the subject of much debate and even some differences between federal and state courts. However, employers got some support from the Labor Department under President Trump, which recently withdrew federal guidelines saying corporate chains were responsible for their franchisees' actions.

For its part, McDonald's responded to an inquiry about the suit from QSRweb by saying, "As a company, we are committed to the well-being and fair treatment of all people who work in McDonald's restaurants and discrimination of any kind is completely inconsistent with our values. As this is an ongoing legal matter involving an independent owner operator, we cannot comment further."