Name: Allegedly told to wear masks made from dog diapers, Oakland McDonald’s workers strike after COVID-19 outbreak
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Allegedly told to wear masks made from dog diapers, Oakland McDonald’s workers strike after COVID-19 outbreak

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By | Bay Area News GroupOAKLAND — After allegedly being told to use masks made out of dog diapers, employees of a McDonald’s in Oakland went on strike Tuesday, effectively shutting down the restaurant, after at least four workers and their family members got sick with COVID-19.The 22 workers of the Telegraph Avenue fast-food restaurant did not show up to work Tuesday, striking to demand a two-week paid quarantine period, company-paid medical costs and a deep cleaning of the store, plus proper personal protective equipment. Organizers say the cooks, cashiers and other workers were told to wear face masks made out of unused dog diapers or use coffee filters to make masks when they ran out of masks handed out by management.“McDonald’s is treating us like dogs,” said worker Delia Vargas in a statement. “We don’t want to die for their hamburgers so we are going on strike, to protect ourselves, our families and our communities.”But McDonald’s, in a statement to this news organization on Tuesday,&nbsp; said that the restaurant was closed for a “deep cleaning procedure” after three employees tested positive for COVID-19. But organizers say that four workers, not three, tested positive within the past week.“We identified and reached out to all restaurant staff who had been in close contact with the employees who contracted the virus and advised they self-quarantine in accordance with CDC guidelines. We expect to reopen in a few days when we can safely staff the restaurant again. Our people are the heart and soul of our McDonald’s family, and we are keeping those impacted in our thoughts for a fast and full recovery,” said Michael Smith, owner/operator of the McDonald’s on Telegraph&nbsp;in the statement.Smith also said that workers are required to wear personal protective equipment at all times, “and the claims of being asked to wear coffee filters and dog diapers are entirely false.”He said McDonald’s is in full compliance with CDC guidelines and state-level orders, and is providing employees with paid leave, and “nearly $20,000 worth of grocery gift cards to further aid them during this difficult time.”At least three other workers, including one worker who is pregnant, are exhibiting symptoms of the virus as well, organizers said. Family members of those who became sick, including a 10-month-old baby, also tested positive, according to The Fight for $15, an organization that helps organize fast-food workers.When one worker asked a manager about closing the store down for cleaning, the manager supposedly said it would mean losing customers, according to The Fight for $15. The workers also were told the restaurant would be completely shut on Monday, but people were still working that day.Tuesday’s strike in Oakland comes a week after McDonald’s cooks and cashiers in 20 cities nationwide went on strike to protest what they called the company’s failed response to the pandemic.Last month, McDonald’s workers held demanding hazard pay and more coronavirus safeguards. Workers from various restaurants including San Jose and San Leandro were in a car caravan circling the fast-food chain in Hayward, &nbsp;honking and holding signs in protest. The protest in early April was inspired in part by similar protests in Los Angeles at that tie when a worker tested positive for the virus.In San Francisco, McDonald’s workers filed a complaint with the city’s health department after mangers similarly told workers to use coffee filters as masks, according to Fight for $15. At a separate restaurant in San Francisco, workers were not told when a colleague tested positive for COVID-19, and also filed a complaint with the city health department, the organization said.We invite you to use our commenting platform to engage in insightful conversations about issues in our community. We reserve the right at all times to remove any information or materials that are unlawful, threatening, abusive, libelous, defamatory, obscene, vulgar, pornographic, profane, indecent or otherwise objectionable to us, and to disclose any information necessary to satisfy the law, regulation, or government request. We might permanently block any user who abuses these conditions.Get Morning Report and other email newslettersFollow UsMost PopularClose

By | Bay Area News GroupOAKLAND — After allegedly being told to use masks made out of dog diapers, employees of a McDonald’s in Oakland went on strike Tuesday, effectively shutting down the restaurant, after at least four workers and their family members got sick with COVID-19.The 22 workers of the Telegraph Avenue fast-food restaurant did not show up to work Tuesday, striking to demand a two-week paid quarantine period, company-paid medical costs and a deep cleaning of the store, plus proper personal protective equipment. Organizers say the cooks, cashiers and other workers were told to...

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Angela Ruggiero

Latest Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area news from reporters & columnists at The Mercury News.

Allegedly told to wear masks made from dog diapers, Oakland McDonald’s workers strike after COVID-19 outbreak

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