Staff at a Santa Monica branch of the fast food chain Burger King, located at 1919 Pico Boulevard, have staged a walk out and filed a complaint with California state and county regulators following the death of a transgender colleague apparently caused by COVID-19 .
Angela Martinez Gómez, aged 41, died on July 6th after displaying COVID symptons.
A silent protest was held in honour of Angela, and to raise awareness of issues the workers faced. According to the complaint made by her colleagues, Angela reported to work with COVID symptoms, coughing, spluttering, needed to take frequent bathroom breaks, and was visibly ill. Instead of being sent home management made her carry on working for a week.
Staff have also said that management did not provide them with protective equipment, and did not allow for social distancing. The complaint also says that a second member of staff fell sick with similar symptoms during this time, but was not allowed to take time off sick. Yolanda Garcia, who filed the complaint, has said that she is the third staff member to display symptoms.
'I feel very worried and I have a bad headache,' Yolanda wrote in the complaint. 'July 8 I woke up coughing with chills, shaking and body aches, my right lung hurts making it difficult to breathe, and I am very tired. I am worried about my health and my family’s health; eight of us live together, and my brother and I both have diabetes. Last week I visited my grandchildren, and now I do not know if I have COVID-19, or if I gave it to them. I am worried.'
Yolanda said that she brought her concerns about this to the manager, but was told Angela had not died of COVID, but rather that her death was a result taking hormones as part of her transition.
'I told (the manager) I was going to get tested for COVID-19, and she said she was going to get tested too,' Yolanda told reporters, 'but she also said she didn’t think Angela died of COVID-19, she said Angela died of injecting hormones. That doesn’t make sense to me.'
Yolanda said that Angela had been taking hormones for a long time, and couldn’t believe that the medication could suddenly cause her death. She has said that she thinks the company was trying to avoid responsibility for the situation.
Yolanda and the rest of the staff are now pleading with state and county regulators to temporarily close the branch until deep cleaning and safety regulations can be put into place to protect staff and customers. She is also pushing for staff to be paid during the closure.
We are saddened to hear of the passing of Angela Martinez Gómez, who had worked at Burger King for more than fifteen years.
A spokesman from the company has responded to these claims and has said the following:
Burger King deeply values diversity, equality and the safety and fair treatment of our team members and guests. We are investigating the report that transphobic comments were made. They do not align with our values and are unacceptable. Creating an inclusive and welcoming environment is a priority for us and we will be sure to take swift action in this case.
Burger King restaurants follow rigorous precautions to keep team members and guests safe at all times. We have not received any news or confirmation that Angela’s tragic death was associated with COVID-19. No symptoms were reported by the team at that location. Our deepest condolences go out to Angela’s family and friends during this devastating time.A Go Fund Me has been started to help support Angela's family, with a goal of $20,000. So far $6,000 has been raised.
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