McDonald's employees are unhappy with their company, and multiple franchisees treatment processes while on the job.
Therefore, lawyers for those in California, Michigan, and New York reportedly submitted documents for litigation action Thursday The New York Times reported.
"Our wages are already at rock bottom," Sharnell Grandberry, a McDonald's worker in Detroit, said in a news release The Times reported. "It is time for McDonald's to stop skirting the law to pad profits. We need to get paid for the hours we work."
The union supports the feelings of the workers who want their pay increased $15 an hour, an awareness that started with protests in New York in 2012, and expanded to over 70 cities in December The Times reported.
Lawyers feel the company and its franchisees should be one entity, and conjoin on legal responsibility, while McDonald's says it does not work with franchises, and believes it is not responsible for the actions of franchise owners actions since they operate by themselves.
"McDonald's and our independent owner-operators share a concern and commitment to the well-being and fair treatment of all people who work in McDonald's restaurants," McDonald's spokeswoman said in a statement The Times reported. "We are currently reviewing the allegations in the lawsuits. McDonald's and our independent franchisees are committed to undertaking a comprehensive investigation of the allegations and will take any necessary actions as they apply to our respective organizations."
Cases in Michigan involved employees coming to work at the request of their bosses before being instructed to be on a one to two hour standby without receiving compensation until more people came to their restaurant location. The time was reportedly spent in parking lots of McDonald's locations.
McDonald's also had workers fund their uniforms, which decreased their $7.25 wage rate.
Three instances in California involve employees complaints that McDonald's did not compensate them for every hour on the job, slimmed down some hours off of workers compensation information, and did not allow time to eat and breaks they were entitled to The Times reported.
Cases in New York claim McDonald's did not pay back employees for cleansing uniforms
"I'd have to be ready to punch in as soon as the store gets busy. When the store is understaffed, our management would tell us we can't take our breaks."
