"Burger King has kept us in the dark and our lives and our families are at risk."
Burger King employees in Santa Monica, California went on strike this week to protest the COVID-19 death of a colleague, after management allegedly blamed her death on hormone treatments.
Employees at the Burger King went on strike after the death of their colleague Angela Martinez Gómez last week. A complaint lodged with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health and the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health claims that Gómez worked for a week in the store with COVID-19 symptoms. According the complaint, she died on Monday after working for a week with “severe” symptoms. She was coughing, nauseated and “running to the restroom a lot” before eventually going home sick. Shortly after, another employee, identified as Mariela, also began developing symptoms.
Angela Martinez Gómez was 42 years old and was originally from Oaxaca, Mexico. She was a leader and loved by her family and community. Burger King exploited her for her labor until her final days. That’s how companies like @BurgerKing and @McDonalds make billions of dollars. pic.twitter.com/ad0GLstxcd
— Fight for $15 LA (@Fightfor15LA) July 10, 2020
The complaint alleges that even after having a high temperature, a manager allowed Mariela to keep working. It also alleges that despite two employees experiencing symptoms, the store was not closed for deep cleaning, nor were any close contacts notified. In the statement, employee Yolanda Santiago Garcia stated that “Burger King has kept us in the dark and our lives and our families are at risk.” The complaint also alleges that at least one manager blamed the death on the hormones Angela Martinez Gómez, a transgender woman, was taking.
Hey @BurgerKing, not trying to get this manager in trouble, please don’t fire him, but is this also the company’s position on your employee’s death?
Trans women don’t just suddenly die from hormones. https://t.co/5mnXQIIa9S pic.twitter.com/vNvTZAZTqE
— Katelyn Burns (@transscribe) July 10, 2020
Stigmatizing transgender healthcare to avoid taking responsibility after pressuring employees to work under unsafe conditions is grossly irresponsible and transphobic @BurgerKing
It's also picking on a trans woman immigrant who already lost her life. https://t.co/TVO4QFw4Ab
— Savannah says Black Trans Lives Matter (@leftytgirl) July 11, 2020
The complainants are calling for the immediate closure of the restaurant, asking that all employees be quarantined with pay and “to take all appropriate steps to hold Burger King accountable for the dangerous and deadly conditions it has demanded that we work in.” In a statement to a local news organisation, a Burger King representative stated “We are deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Angela Martinez Gómez, who had worked at Burger King for more than fifteen years. The restaurant will undergo a deep disinfection this evening.”
"colleague" - Google News
July 12, 2020 at 07:01AM
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Burger King Employees Strike After COVID Death Of Colleague - Junkee
"colleague" - Google News
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