News

QSR workers walk off the job amidst heat wave conditions

July 22, 2013

Employees at a Chicago area Dunkin' Donuts and a New York City McDonald's claim they were forced to work in dangerously high temperatures during last week's heat wave.

Progress Illinois reported that Dunkin' Donuts employees in a downtown Chicago location were forced to work without air conditioning during 95-degree weather.

The workers claim they made repeated requests to have the air conditioning fixed and eventually walked out and locked the doors of the location, which remained closed for eight hours.

Temperatures reached 99 degrees inside the restaurant before the strike, causing one employee to say "I couldn't stand it anymore." The staff, backed by the Workers Organizing Committee of Chicago, held a protest on July 19.

Additionally, employees at a Washington Heights (New York City) McDonald's walked off the job last week, after they claim they were forced to work without air conditioning. Employees claimed that some of their coworkers became ill, and even passed out from the conditions.

"In the middle of a heat wave like this, to be expected to stand in a hot kitchen with no air conditioning is inhumane and unsafe. We are human beings. We've told McDonalds before that the air conditioning doesn't work and that we can't take the heat but they don't listen to us. We can't take it anymore. No one should have to work like this," said Jamne Izquierdo, a striking McDonald's worker.

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