McDonald’s Must Face No-Poach Claims Like Those Burger King Beat

McDonald’s Corp. can’t dodge claims that it drove down wages by enforcing a “no poach” agreement barring different franchise locations from hiring one another’s workers, a Chicago federal judge ruled.

Judge Jorge L. Alonso gave the proposed employee class action a green light April 24. He rejected the fast food giant’s argument that the lead plaintiff lacked standing because she was never denied a job based on the no-poach policy.

“The argument misses the point of plaintiff’s alleged injury: Plaintiff alleges she suffered depressed wages,” Alonso wrote. “Plaintiff’s claim is akin to a supplier who sells at a reduced price ...