Ben Kesslen
Employees at a Los Angeles McDonald's strike after coworker tests positive
10h ago / 11:00 PM EDT
Employees at a Los Angeles McDonald's strike after coworker tests positive
Employees at a Los Angeles McDonald's went on strike Sunday after their coworker tested positive for coronavirus. "We’re terrified for ourselves and our families," Bartolome Perez, one of the striking workers, said in a statement provided by Fight for $15 and a union representing the workers.
The group of workers at the Crenshaw Boulevard location is demanding a two-week quarantine period with full pay. They say the company has not provided them with personal protective equipment despite multiple requests.
"We’ve been pleading for protective equipment for more than a month now, but McDonald’s is putting its profits ahead of our health," said Perez, who has been working for the company for 30 years. "We don’t want to die for McDonald’s burgers and fries."
The workers say the drive-through and the tight quarters in the kitchen make it impossible to adhere to social distancing guidelines. "McDonald’s calls us essential workers, but it's not just our work that is essential,” one of the striking workers Maria Rodriguez said in a statement. “Our lives are essential, too."
In a statement to NBC News, the owner of the franchise, Nicole Enearu, said the location was closed and sanitized immediately after the worker tested positive.
"We are committed to paying both the infected employee and the other employees who need to quarantine," Enearu said, adding she believes the location has "an ample supply of gloves available to our employees."





what? The last 4 years ive caught colds after eating out. Only time ive gotten it. So im supposed to believe you can get a buncha shyt from takeout but not Covid fukking 19? There are some places I like but hey...they gonna have to go under. All these people eating out or having grubhubers bringing them food are having that illness shipped to their front door.