McDonald's famous golden arches. Gene J. Puskar/ASSOCIATED PRESSSix McDonald's employees are calling for better safety procedures.According to an Insider complaint filed with Cal/OSHA, the restaurant called 911 on average every four days.Partially, violence and outbursts against workers are a result of anxiety from COVID.Check out more stories from Insider's business page.A McDonald's in South Los Angeles is striking Tuesday, citing years of violence that has plagued the restaurant.The workers at the restaurant staged a protest outside to highlight the violence they had been exposed to. They demanded that McDonald's create a safer work environment and provide additional training to handle violent interactions.According to six OSHA workers from the restaurant, the strike was prompted in part by an incident where an angry customer attacked a cashier. Victor Bonilla, a worker at the restaurant, stated that he had to intervene to protect the cashier from an angry customer."I had no choice but to jump in to attempt to seperate the customer. I was twice hit in the stomach and ribs. He stated in the report that he didn't believe the manager called the police and that he hadn't seen the police arrive.McDonald's has condemned violence at the restaurant and issued a statement to Insider confirming that the police were called."We are shocked by the senseless acts of violence that have no place in our restaurants. We believe it is vital to provide a safe environment for our employees. Therefore, we have several layers of security in place, including security personnel, according to Jackie Bunting, McDonald's USA Operations Officer. "In this case, protocol was observed and law enforcement were immediately contacted to intervene. We were proud of the employee who was impacted and will continue to serve our communities safely.Continue the storyFanny Velazquez said another worker that the management has not provided any guidance or training on how to handle violence on the job.Management doesn't give us any instructions or information about what to do when there is a violent incident. She stated that she usually only knows about violent incidents because she hears the screaming from the front.Workers claim violence is a constant problem at the site. They have previously complained to Cal/OSHA as well as the Los Angeles Department of Public Health.Insider was able to see the CalOsha complaint that workers made. It stated that violence occurs every day at McDonald's. Fight for 15 reviewed public records and found 354 911 calls made by the restaurant over the three-year period 2017-2018. That's about one call per four days. These calls included disturbances and assaults, as well as burglaries and threats.McDonald's claims that these 911 calls can also be used to report on non-violent medical needs, such as illness or wellness checks.Continue reading: Mass Quitting, Strikes and Rage: We spoke to workers who are fed up with the terrible conditions they live in and are fighting backWorkers ask the agency to "require that McDonald's provide a safe, secure workplace, free from violence and threats" and to "provide us training to know what to do in the event of a violent incident."Retail violence is a serious problem. It has only gotten worse since the pandemic. In a survey by Service Employees International Union, 4,187 McDonald's employees found that almost half said they had been verbally or physically assaulted in the summer 2020.According to Luana Marques, an associate professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School, panic and anxiety have been caused by the pandemic.Retail workers are leaving the sector in large numbers. Retail workers are finding it easier to find new jobs, and leaving behind difficult customers and low-paying jobs because of the labor shortage.Have a story about a restaurant or retail chain that you would like to share? Email this reporter at mmeisenzahl@businessinsider.com.Business Insider has the original article.
