The Fight for $15 group, a union-sponsored group, has found another way to pressure McDonald's. The group recently filed EEOC charges on behalf of 15 U.S. McDonald's workers who say they were sexually harassed on the job. 

The Charges were filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission against McDonald's USA LLC and individual franchisees in eight states over the last month. The charges include one worker alleging a manager showed her a picture of his genitals and said he wanted to "do things" to her. Another charging party alleged a supervisor offered her $1,000 for oral sex.

A big part of this effort by Fight for $15 has to do with McDonald's claim that it does not employ any of the employees of any of its franchisee restaurants. In a case before the National Labor Relations Board, Fight for $15 claims the company is a joint employer of franchise workers who say they faced retaliation for joining in nationwide strikes organized by the group. McDonald's disclaims responsibility for any employment law violations that occur in its franchise restaurants even though all employment policies and procedures and training emanate from the McDonald's corporation.  

I'll be keeping an eye on these cases as they progress because they have the potential to dramatically change the legal landscape of employment law with regard to franchise business models.  

Read More: Reuters