Workers went on strike Thursday afternoon at one Los Angeles McDonald's, saying the company is failing to protect them from violence.
The cooks and cashiers at the restaurant on Figueroa St. in University Park say they feel like their lives are in danger.
“There was this customer who came in and was another customer with a knife, and the management didn't do anything about it except try to blame their employees for it,” cashier Jaylene Loubet told KNX News.
In another incident, someone left the back door open while bringing in a delivery, and someone running from the police came in to hide.
“It was to the point where [the police] told all the employees they had to leave because they were trying to take him down basically,” she said. “It’s situations like this that make us feel unsafe in the workplace and we just don’t feel like they’re listening to us.”
Loubet said the abuse from customers is constant and happens “on a daily basis.” She said McDonald’s does have training videos for staff on what to do in violent situations, but she “didn’t feel like it was as informative as it should have been.”
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“I feel like it's kind of half-cooked,” she said. “I guess you could say they're doing stuff so they can say, oh, we're trying. But I feel like they're not doing the best they can do to make sure that their employees are safe.”
The workers are demanding enhanced training and more protection.
KNX News has reached out to McDonald’s for a response.
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