A civil rights lawsuit was filed on Wednesday against the city of Memphis, Tennessee now the Police claimed that they were given “authorization from the president of McDonald’s” to arrest the protesting workers. The lawsuit alleges that Memphis local police engaged in a large illegal campaign of surveillance and intimidation against the workers fighting for $15 Fast-Food Worker Organization that was campaigning for minimum wage increase and union rights.
According to the suit the organizers were followed by the officers to their homes after meetings and were barred from signing any petitions and blacklisted organizers from city hall.
These officers claimed that they were instructed by McDonald’s that is world’s biggest fast-food chain. In an incident the Police were joined by a franchisee to quell the protest.
The suit alleges that local police engaged in a “widespread and illegal campaign of surveillance and intimidation” against a local chapter of the Fight for $15 fast-food worker organization as it campaigned for an increase in the minimum wage and union rights for fast food workers.
The suit alleges that a campaign of harassment began after Memphis workers participated in a nationwide day of protest on 4 September 2014. Since then, police officers have repeatedly threatened workers with arrest during protests, at one point telling them they had “authorization from the president of McDonald’s to make arrests”. On “multiple occasions” officers “seemed to take direction from McDonald’s”, the complaint charges.
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