McDonald's Charged With Punishing Workers Who Participated In Labor Strikes

In recent months, fast-food workers around the country have been walking out of their jobs en masse to protest their extremely low wages, many below the national average minimum wage of $7.49. However, the "Fight for Fifteen" campaign, as it's been dubbed, has resulted in many McDonald's franchisees allegedly threatening workers who participate in the national protests, as well as arrests of protestors. As a result, the National Labor Relations Board has charged McDonald's and its franchisees with 78 charges of violating federal labor law, and cover wage labor issues in relation to protests within the last two years.

The formal letter of complaint reads:

"Meritorious allegations of unlawful conduct committed by McDonald's franchisees and/or their franchisor, McDonald's USA, LLC, occurring in more than one, and often multiple, locations around the country include: discriminatory discipline, reductions in hours, discharges, and other coercive conduct directed at employees in response to union and protected concerted activity, including threats, surveillance, interrogations, promises of benefit, and overbroad restrictions on communicating with union representatives or with other employees about unions and the employees' terms and conditions of employment."

The regions affected by these complaints include McDonald's locations in Manhattan, Philadelphia, Detroit, Atlanta, Chicago, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and several more cities around the country. The Labor Board has scheduled hearings starting in March 2015.