McDonald's accused of firing worker who sued over COVID-19 claims

McDonald's Corp has been accused of firing a worker from its Chicago restaurant for suing the fast-food chain over claims that it failed to protect employees during the coronavirus outbreak, Bloomberg reported on Thursday.

Ryan Freeman was terminated “in an effort to discourage other employees from engaging in” legally protected activism, according to a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board, filed by Service Employees International Union (SEIU) on Wednesday, the report said.

McDonald’s workers around the country have protested and demanded safety gear.

Both McDonald’s and SEIU did not respond to a Reuters request for comment outside regular U.S. business hours.

Freeman was one of five employees who sued McDonald’s last month over working conditions at restaurants during the pandemic.