OAKLAND, Calif. (AP) – An Oakland McDonald’s has settled a lawsuit from employees who said the owner gave them COVID-19 masks made from dog diapers and coffee filters.
Thursday’s settlement requires the franchise owner to provide masks and gloves to all workers, and to take other health and safety measures called for by a judge last year, such as regular temperature checks.
The franchise owner did not admit any wrongdoing in the comparison.
The measures will stay in place for a year unless state health officials no longer recommend them.
The Telegraph Avenue branch closed for a month from May 2020 after 20 workers refused to show up, claiming that 25 workers and their families, including a baby, were infected with the coronavirus.
After the COVID-19 pandemic began in March 2020, employees asked for masks, but received dog diapers and coffee filters as an emergency solution, and when they finally received masks for single use, they had to wear them for several days, the employees claimed.
Three of the employees who sued also said they had to work despite COVID-19 symptoms and all later tested positive for the disease.
McDonald’s Corp., which was not named in the lawsuit, requires masks for both employees and customers as COVID-19 rises across the country, fueled by the Delta variant, which is largely spreading among unvaccinated people, public officials say Healthcare.
McDonald’s Corp. said a manual containing health requirements and procedures was given to all franchises during the pandemic.
“While we believe that any unusual behavior such as that alleged in these complaints does not reflect what has, by and large, happened and continues to happen in 14,000 McDonald’s US locations, our focus is no less on making sure that we have clear processes and the right resources “to promote the safety and wellbeing of crew and customers,” said McDonald’s in a statement shared with SFGate.
