Ex-McDonald’s Worker Advances Race Bias Suit Against Franchisee

A Black worker who lost her job at a McDonald’s franchisee after wearing a Black Lives Matter face mask during the pandemic can pursue allegations of race discrimination, retaliation, and a hostile work environment.

The worker, who also says managers failed to protect her from racial slurs, sufficiently alleged Cullen Management LLC treated Black employees worse than others and fired her because of her race, the US District Court for the Western District of Virginia said. But her claims against McDonald’s USA LLC—the McDonald’s Corp. subsidiary that franchised the restaurant to Cullen Management—can’t go forward, the Wednesday opinion said. ...