Black former McDonald’s manager sues restaurant, claims it allowed co-worker to use racial slurs

A former McDonald’s manager has filed a lawsuit against the global restaurant chain claiming that the company did not work against the use of racial slurs by employees. Anthony Green, who worked as a shift manager at McDonald’s, said he was targeted with racial slurs from an employee under his supervision and his own supervisor.

In the lawsuit, Green alleges that his supervisor called his natural hair “unprofessional”, adding that she did not like people outside of her race. In his lawsuit, he claims that he was not allowed to change his working shift along with a white colleague who used the N-word.

Green alleges in his lawsuit that in February 2020 when he was made manager of shifts at a McDonald’s location in Ottawa, Kansas, he overheard a colleague under his supervision, who he refers to as Joseph, use the N-word at work.

According to him, he went ahead to file a written complaint to his supervisor and manager, who he refers to as Cynthia in the lawsuit, and requested not to be put on the same work shift with his colleague going forward.

He claims in his lawsuit that no disciplinary action was instituted against Joseph and his request not to be put on the same work shift with Joseph was completely ignored. He further claims that Joseph continued to use racist language, including referring to him (Green) as a “boy” even though he was senior to him.

Dissatisfied with the response against his complaint, he went to the restaurant owner, Hugh O’Reilly, who is white, to restate his cause against Joseph but no action was taken against the employee’s use of racial slurs.

Later in April, Green said he got a response from Cynthia which said the only reason he has still not been fired was that she did not want him to pull the ‘black card.’ The lawsuit claims Cynthia said she does not like people ‘outside’ her race, adding that his natural hair was “unprofessional.” Other demeaning comments were made, according to the lawsuit.

He also alleges in his lawsuit that he was supposed to earn $12 an hour for his work but he never made more than $684 even on his busiest week.

Green said the discrimination and harassment he received at his former workplace made the work environment “unbearable” for him, and further alleges that he was “constructively discharged” later in June.

Green is suing the Ottawa McDonalds location for discrimination, retaliation, two counts of failure to pay wages, and failure to pay overtime, and is demanding a trial by jury.