Following Rape At Maple Grove McDonalds, State Files Consent Decree

MAPLE GROVE, MN — The Minnesota Department of Human Rights Wednesday said it filed a consent decree that will require "sweeping changes" to be made at 14 McDonald's restaurants in the state.

The state sued Hyder Investments, a McDonald’s franchisee, and accused them of fostering a culture of sexual harassment that led to a manager in Maple Grove sexually assaulting a 14-year-old employee.

"This consent decree means that these McDonald’s restaurants are now safer for employees," said Minnesota Department of Human Rights Commissioner Rebecca Lucero in a news release.

"Sexual harassment in the fast-food industry has long been a reality and this consent decree serves up much needed reform. From policy changes to required trainings to leadership engagement, this comprehensive agreement is a new beginning and an opportunity for culture change at each of these restaurants."

According to state investigators, the McDonald’s franchisee had a policy that said someone could call and report sexual harassment. However, instead of providing a real phone number, the policy simply read "XXX-XXX-XXXX," authorities said.

Investigators also said that employees in positions of authority at the locations failed to act. Supervisors knew about the inappropriate relationship between the manager and the 14-year-old girl and yet did nothing, authorities said.

The state said the following changes will take place at the 14 McDonald's locations:

Policy Changes: Create, maintain, and enforce policies that prevent and address sexual harassment and assault and ensure those policies are easily understood by workers of all ages and available in all languages spoken by employees.

Effective Reporting Systems: Create systems for reporting harassment and discrimination where employees can report free from retaliation and have the option to report anonymously.

Required Trainings: Hold regular all employee training on implicit bias, how to appropriately intervene in unwelcome workplace conduct, and information about reporting harassment and discrimination. Supervisors and managers must also be trained on the important role they play in creating safe workplaces.

Leadership Engagement: To help create a strong culture from the top, the CEO will 1) stress to all employees at biannual meetings that McDonald’s restaurants must be free from harassment and discrimination, 2) meet with non-supervisory employees to hear their feedback and concerns, and 3) work with human resources on a report that outlines employee concerns, action steps to address those concerns, and key metrics to track progress.

Read the entire consent degree here.