A Black McDonald’s executive has filed a lawsuit against the fast-food company, accusing CEO Chris Kempczinski of racial discrimination.
Michael Peaster oversaw Kempczinski’s safety as vice president of global safety, security, and intelligence, according to Business Insider.
The lawsuit alleges that Peaster was the target of a months-long campaign to have him fired after allegedly criticizing Kempczinski at a town hall meeting in 2021.
The meeting’s main topic was the CEO’s 2021 text message to Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot, where he appeared to blame the parents of two children who had been shot and killed—one at a nearby McDonald’s.
“With both, the parents failed those kids, which I know is something you can’t say,” Kempczinski said in the text, Business Insider reported. “Even harder to fix.” He was widely criticized for that message.
According to the lawsuit, Peaster said he thought Kempczinski was in denial about why many individuals believed his texts were racist and were outraged. “We cannot broad brush the violence issues in Chicago to make it appear that all parents who have children who are victims to gun violence are bad parents,” Peaster said, in part, during the town hall meeting.
He said they must be understanding and compassionate to families struggling to make ends meet and keep their children safe while living in neighborhoods facing challenges.
According to the lawsuit, Peaster did not face immediate repercussions or punishment for his remarks. However, in the year preceding his termination, which will take effect on December 31, he faced discrimination and exclusion.
“This termination was discriminatory against Michael Peaster because of his race,” the suit reads. “It was retaliatory against Michael Peaster based on his respectful but legitimate contradiction of Kempczinski on the subject of race.”
This isn’t the first time McDonald’s has been accused of racial discrimination under Kempczinski’s leadership.
Two Black McDonald’s executives, Vicki Guster-Hines and Domineca Neal filed a discrimination lawsuit against the business in January 2020. According to the plaintiffs’ attorneys, the lawsuit is currently in the discovery phase.
In August 2020, 52 Black McDonald’s ex-franchisees filed a $1 billion racial discrimination lawsuit against the fast food giant, alleging that McDonald’s purposefully opened locations in “crime-ridden” neighborhoods with low sales and deceived them about the financial potential of owning restaurants.
McDonald’s claims that the timeline is incorrect in the Peaster case because he was promoted to vice president in January 2022, two months after delivering the remarks as a senior director. Despite his allegations, the company says Peaster was fired in November for poor job performance.
“The claims run completely afoul of the facts and the values our leadership team and company uphold,” McDonald’s said in a statement, according to Business Insider. “Mr. Peaster was promoted in January 2022; however, he was subsequently terminated due to serious performance issues in his expanded role.”
“To suggest that his termination was based on retaliation or anything other than performance lapses is to completely ignore the facts. We intend to vigorously defend against this lawsuit and to continue to lead with our values,” the statement continues.