McDonald's workers detail burns, other job hazards

NEW YORK -- McDonald's workers in 19 cities have filed complaints over burns from popping grease, a lack of protective equipment and other workplace hazards, according to labor organizers.

The complaints are the latest move in an ongoing campaign to win pay of $15 an hour and unionization for fast-food workers by publicly pressuring McDonald's to come to the bargaining table. The push is being led by the Service Employees International Union and began more than two years ago. Already, it has included protests around the country and lawsuits alleging workers weren't given their rightful pay.

The burns and other hazards were detailed in complaints announced Monday and filed with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration in recent weeks. Workers cite a persistent lack of gloves for handling hot equipment and say they've been burned while cleaning grills that have to be kept on. One worker says he was told by a manager to "put mayonnaise on it, you'll be good."

The complaints also detail a lack of training for handling hot fryers and slipping on wet floors.

A representative for the Labor Department, Laura McGinnis, confirmed the complaints were received by OSHA but said the agency does not discuss ongoing investigations.

In a statement, McDonald's Corp. said the company and its independent franchisees are committed to providing safe working conditions for employees and will review the allegations.

"It is important to note that these complaints are part of a larger strategy orchestrated by activists targeting our brand and designed to generate media coverage," Heidi Barker Sa Shekhem, a McDonald's spokeswoman, said in the statement.

The complaints extend a central theme of the "Fight for $15" campaign, which has been to hold McDonald's accountable for working conditions at its franchised locations. That would ease the way for worker negotiations and unionization across the company's more than 14,000 U.S. restaurants, the vast majority of which are run by franchisees.

McDonald's and other fast-food chains, including Burger King and Wendy's, have said they're not responsible for employment decisions at franchised restaurants.

The matter has reached the general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board, which said late last year McDonald's could be named as a joint employer in complaints by workers. The complaints have yet to be heard, but whichever side loses is expected to appeal the decision.

Kendall Fells, organizing director for Fight for $15, said the injuries at both franchised and company-owned restaurants came about mostly because of understaffing and employees being told to work too quickly -- both of which he said were the result of a computer system that tracks sales and staffing metrics.

The computer system also was cited in lawsuits last year that allege "wage theft" by McDonald's and its franchisees for the denial of breaks and overtime pay. That system has been key in labor groups' argument that McDonald's exerts enough control over franchised restaurants to be considered a joint employer.

Fells noted workers are looking at every way they can hold McDonald's accountable, and workplace injuries are just the latest issue they're bringing to light.

Mary Vogel, executive director of the National Council for Occupational Safety and Health, said in a conference call organized by labor groups the burns and other hazards detailed in the complaints are "pretty universal" in the fast-food industry.