The suit was filed Thursday in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Virginia.
The plaintiffs in the case claim they were “subjected to rampant racial and sexual harassment, committed by the restaurants’ highest-ranking supervisors,” according to the lawsuit, as reported by ThinkProgress.
Nine of the plaintiffs are African-American and one is Hispanic. Seven of them are women.
Supervisors allegedly degraded black employees, referring to them with both racially charged and sexist slurs including “b*tch,” “ratchet,” and “ghetto.” One Hispanic former worker was referred to as a “dirty Mexican.”
The lawsuit goes on to say that supervisors would more harshly discipline the plaintiffs for minor infractions that were easily forgiven when committed by white employees.
The suit seeks restitution consisting of lost wages, emotional distress, and other unlisted damages. It is backed by the South Boston NAACP and the Fight for $15 campaign.
It also alleges unfair hiring practices. It claims franchisee Soweva Co. has a new plan to limit the number of African-American employees in favor of whites, which the suit claims is in violation of the Civil Rights Act. One supervisor allegedly told another, “now we can get rid of the n*ggers and the Mexicans.”
The plaintiffs, along with eleven other minority former employees, claim that they were fired because they did not “fit the profile.” One claimed that she was forced to quit because she was subjected to so much racially-charged abuse at her workplace.
The group decided to go forward with the lawsuit after a complaint filed with McDonald’s corporate went unanswered.
Plaintiffs’ attorney Paul Smith told ThinkProgress that McDonald’s corporate controls every element of the store, from a system that monitors employee labor to daily reports sent to corporate regarding how supervisors act.
In response to the suit, McDonald’s issued the following statement:
“We have not seen the lawsuit, and cannot comment on its allegations, but will review the matter carefully. McDonald’s has a long-standing history of embracing the diversity of employees, independent Franchisees, customers and suppliers, and discrimination is completely inconsistent with our values. McDonald’s and our independent owner-operators share a commitment to the well-being and fair treatment of all people who work in McDonald’s restaurants.”
Katrina Stanfield, one of the plaintiffs, told ThinkProgress that she was harassed for her appearance.
“Getting fired came as a total shock to me,” she said. “I had never been written up before or faced disciplinary actions during my time at McDonald’s… But being a good worker didn’t matter. I was fired for being black.”
