Hundreds of McDonald's workers in 12 U.S. cities walked out of restaurants Tuesday, protesting a lack of attention towards sexual harassment claims on employees.

McDonald's workers are calling for action over what they say is a continuing problem, which has included at least 50 workers filing charges of verbal and physical harassment in the last five years.

Some of the striking cities include Chicago, Houston, Miami, Detroit, Tampa, and St. Louis, according to Fight for $15, a labor group that organized the strikes.

“I'm on strike today because we need McDonald's to realize that we're not going to stop. What needs to stop is sexual harassment,” said Adriana Alvarez, who has worked at McDonald’s for a decade. “It's unfair to these workers, making close to poverty wages, and then on top of that to have to worry about being sexually harassed on the job.”

This is the fifth time since 2018 that McDonald’s workers have gone on strike over "inadequate efforts to stop sexual harassment."

The strike was organized following the latest lawsuit against McDonald's. A 14-year-old Pittsburgh girl was allegedly raped in February by her shift manager, who had been listed as a registered sex offender. In September, the girl and her parents sued McDonald’s and its franchise operator, accusing them of creating and permitting "a sexually hostile work environment for its employees from the top down."

A petition has been made to hold McDonald's accountable for harassment at Metoomcdonalds.org. The website cites the accusations involving the 14-year-old Pittsburgh girl.

McDonald’s released a statement on Tuesday saying that, “every single person working at a McDonald’s restaurant deserves to feel safe and respected when they come to work, and sexual harassment and assault have no place in any McDonald’s restaurant.”

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