November 5, 2020 I 11:29 AM

Is McDonald’s doing enough to protect workers from COVID?

Employees have filed lawsuits and formal complaints since the pandemic took hold. The company says crew and managers’ “safety and well-being are top priorities.”

ALLY MAROTTI

Since COVID-19 took hold in March, McDonald’s workers around the country have filed complaints and lawsuits and staged walkouts, alleging the fast-food giant failed to keep them safe even as they were designated essential workers.

Now, nearly eight months into the pandemic, some McDonald’s workers say they still don’t feel safe on the job.

An employee at a McDonald’s in the Gage Park neighborhood filed a complaint early this week with the federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration, or OSHA. The complaint alleged six employees were infected with COVID-19 at the location, some of whom came to work “sick and contagious,” potentially spreading the disease.

A McDonald’s worker in California filed a similar complaint with the California Division of Occupational Safety & Health and the Santa Clara County Public Health department last week, alleging multiple co-workers were forced to work with visible COVID-19 symptoms, potentially infecting others.