Cooks and cashiers walked off the job at a McDonald’s in Los Angeles on Friday, July 20, claiming the restaurant’s broken air conditioning system was forcing them to work in sweltering conditions amid Southern California’s relentless heat wave.
Conditions are especially bad in the kitchen area, workers said, because of more heat coming from the grill, fryers and ovens.
They staged a lunchtime rally outside the restaurant and said they don’t plan to return until management addresses the problem. They say the air conditioning system hasn’t worked properly for three years.
“It’s unbearable,” said Maria Rodriguez, who has been a cook at the 2838 Crenshaw Blvd. McDonald’s for 20 years. “Management doesn’t seem to care. They say the air conditioning is working, but you can feel how hot it is.”
So how hot is ‘hot?’
“One of my coworkers brought a thermometer to work to measure the temperature and it was 95 degrees,” the 49-year-old LA resident said. “We’re all drinking more water, but it’s just extremely hot. They are treating us like animals.”
Nicole Enearu, the restaurant’s owner/operator, responded in a statement issued late Friday:
“We understand that there’s an uncomfortable heat wave in LA, which is why we’re even more focused on ensuring the safety of our employees inside our restaurants,” Enearu said. “Our air conditioning is functioning properly at this location.”
Co-worker Dora Argueta complained about the heat and wasn’t happy with her manager’s response.
“He said it’s a good time to lose weight,” Argueta said. “I said, ‘no, this heat is going to dehydrate us.’ But he just brushed it off and told us to drink more water.”
Wielding signs reading “No AC, no Service” and “McDonald’s on Strike,” employees picketed the restaurant Friday while cars passed by. They were supported by members of Fight for $15, an organization that’s working to boost wages and improve working…
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