PITTSBURGH — McDonald’s workers in at least 10 cities plan to strike Tuesday, outraged over the company’s handling of cases of sexual harassment, including one in Bethel Park.
Walter Garner, who was a manager at a McDonald’s in Bethel Park, pleaded guilty last week to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old girl who also worked at the fast-food restaurant. He was sentenced to 4-10 years in prison, plus probation.
A lawsuit filed on behalf of the girl claims McDonald’s failed to screen Garner, a convicted sex offender, before hiring him. He’s on the Megan’s Law website for life for sexually abusing a 10-year-old in the late 90s.
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In yet another case, Garner pleaded guilty in 2003 to aggravated indecent assault.
Several lawsuits against McDonald’s are pending across the United States, claiming the fast-food chain improperly handles reports of sexual assault.
It’s unclear whether workers at any McDonald’s in the Pittsburgh area will participate in Tuesday’s strike.