A former McDonald's employee claims she was fired after reporting sexual harassment to the company

• An ex-Mcdonald's worker alleged that she faced retaliation after reporting sexual harassment.
• Rosalia Manuel told The Guardian that she believed she was fired for reporting a co-worker's harassment.

A former Mcdonald's worker based in San Jose, California, alleged that she faced retaliation after reporting sexual harassment to the company.

The Guardian first reported the news.

Rosalia Manuel said she was fired from her job of 24 years on July 8, per The Guardian. She says she was told it was because she took a work break at the wrong time, but claims the firing was in retaliation for reporting the sexual harassment of a colleague.

Months earlier, Manuel had reported to corporate HR the continual sexual harassment of a female co-worker by a male colleague who was related to one of the managers, according to The Guardian. The female co-worker said the man touched her inappropriately and once offered to pay her to go to a motel with him, Manuel told The Guardian.

The male worker was removed from the store after the complaint, The Guardian reported, but Manuel told the publication that she thought her manager was angry that she didn't report it to her.

Manuel said management started to harass her and the female co-worker after the complaint. She told The Guardian that they would write "complaints for any little thing," until eventually both she and the co-worker were sacked for infractions.

Manuel added: "I was shocked. I went to my car and started to cry because I knew I had done the right thing, yet I was being fired and punished for it."

Manuel said she had filed a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission over the incident.

Representatives for Mcdonald's did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment made outside of normal working hours. A spokesperson told The Guardian: "McDonald's has been clear that sexual harassment will not be tolerated. Everyone who works under the Arches should be able to confidently show up to work each day in a place that is safe, respectful and inclusive."

It added: "As announced in 2021, McDonald's is requiring Global Brand Standards at all restaurants worldwide effective January 1, 2022, to reinforce our commitment to these values."

In late 2021, Mcdonald's workers across at least 10 US cities held a one-day strike as a result of sexual harassment allegations at the company.

The organizers of the strike, Fight for $15, also filed three EEOC complaints alleging retaliation for reporting sexual harassment, Insider's Mary Meisenzahl reported.

Per the report, one of the complaints filed with the agency related to a California branch of the chain, where it alleged that there was "a pattern of sexual harassment against women" and retaliation against those who reported it.