McDonald’s workers settle California suit alleging dog diapers provided as COVID masks

Employees at a McDonald’s in Oakland, California, said they settled a lawsuit with their employer Thursday after alleging they were given dog diapers instead of face masks last year during the COVID-19 pandemic.

McDonald’s employees Yamilett Hernandez, Angely Lambert, Marcos Garcia, Edgar Osoy and Maria Orozco filed a lawsuit against the store in June 2020, saying they were told to wear coffee filters and dog diapers instead of being provided with personal protective equipment, Bloomberg Law reported.

“Last year when McDonald’s tried to treat us like dogs, we didn’t sit down or stay silent. We joined together and fought for our dignity as human beings—and we won,” Lambert said in a statement, according to the publication. “First, we made history by going on strike and shutting down our store for over a month. Now, we’ve made history again by winning a worker safety committee that will let us make decisions about how to keep ourselves and our customers safe.”

The owners agreed to continue the COVID-19 measures, including providing masks and gloves, wellness checks, hand-washing and temperature testing, as ordered by Alameda County Superior Court Judge Richard Seabolt in July 2020, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The franchise will also create a “worker safety committee,” which will require managers and the owner to meet with the employees monthly to talk about how to make the workplace safe, Reuters reported.

The franchise denied wrongdoing, and it’s unclear if the settlement had financial terms, according to the publication.

The Oakland McDonald’s first closed in May 2020 after 20 employees went on strike for more than a month, citing “unsafe conditions” at the restaurant that had allegedly sickened 25 workers and family members, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

McDonald’s said in a statement to SFGate that franchises have been given a handbook with requirements and procedures during the pandemic.

“While we’re confident that any outlier conduct like that alleged in these complaints does not reflect what has broadly happened and continues to happen across 14,000 U.S. McDonald’s locations, we’re no less focused on ensuring that we have clear processes and the right resources to promote the safety and wellbeing of crew and customers,” McDonald’s said in the statement.

Franchise owner Michael Smith denied the allegations in the lawsuit and said “the settlement does not involve an admission of wrongdoing,” according to the New York Times.

Smith said in a statement to the publication that safety measures were implemented “over a year ago” and that “we will continue to take all necessary steps to ensure that our stores remain as safe as possible.”

This story was originally published August 13, 2021 at 8:57 AM with the headline "McDonald’s workers settle California suit alleging dog diapers provided as COVID masks."