COVID-19 lawsuit takes on McDonald's like it was a rowdy bar

As businesses in the U.S. start to reopen, some McDonalds workers are worried the fast-food chain isn’t doing enough to protect them and their families.

Their lawyers have filed a class-action lawsuit alleging the burger giant is a “public nuisance.” It’s a strategy that’s been used in the past to try and shutter topless bars.

The lawsuit isn’t seeking money, but wants to force McDonalds to supply adequate safety gear, such as face masks, as workers return to work.

The employees claim that McDonald’s created unsafe workplace, posing a threat to community health.

Workplace safety is typically under the jurisdiction of the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration – or OSHA.

But by focusing the lawsuit on the threat to the public, the employees are hoping to take their case outside of OSHA and into the courts.

This comes as McDonald’s workers around the country have protested, demanding they be given safety gear at work.

In Chicago, workers filed at least four complaints with OSHA, but - according to the lawsuit - the agency declined to inspect work sites. OSHA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.