Some 25% of restaurant workers said that the frequency of sexual harassment changed during the pandemic, as employees faceDel Taco is paying $1.25 million to settle a sexual harassment lawsuit. But, fast-food workers are facing problems that are much bigger than a single chain.
When workers complained, Del Taco failed to take sufficient action, according to the complaint. Instead, workers faced retaliation, including having their hours cut or being forced to resign due to continued harassment. "Before, these workers' dependence on customers for their income resulted in sexual harassment, sometimes including sexual assault," reads the report, conducted by nonprofit One Fair Wage and the UC Berkeley Food Labor Research Center.