Woman claims McDonald’s fired her brother because he has autism

An upset sibling has taken to social media to call attention to what she alleges was the wrongful firing of her brother. Angelica Selena Martinez’ claims her 19-year-old brother Alex, who is autistic, was let go from his job at McDonald’s for having shaky hands.

“My brother was fired from McDonald’s slowly [sic] based off discrimination. He has mild autism and was super excited about starting his first day. Not even a week in and they let him go. Their reasoning? ‘His hands were a little too shaky when he gets anxious,’” Martinez wrote on Twitter, tagging McDonald’s in the post.

BuzzFeed reports that, according to Alex, management knew about his autism at the time of his interview. On his fourth day on the job, he was sent home early and told, “Don’t worry, you’re not fired.” The branch allegedly never told Alex he had been terminated. Rather, he found out from his grandmother a day before he was to return for a shift.

https://twitter.com/kiniii_/status/937050404004777984“I really tried to have a job since I didn’t want to stay home and always ask my mom for money. I had to take two buses to get to my job. I was on time every day and sometimes there even before I had to start,” Alex told BuzzFeed.

“I did nothing wrong - I was always careful while handling change, my registers always had the right money,” he continued. “I don’t like that they didn’t tell me personally. I feel like they weren’t treating me like a normal human being and made me feel like I was inadequate and worthless. I still haven’t gotten paid for the time I worked and they still haven’t told me when I will get paid. I just don’t understand.”

Anthony Greenwood Sr., who owns the McDonald’s franchise where Alex worked, issued a statement to BuzzFeed that reads: “We have investigated these claims made on social media regarding an employee of my restaurant and I am working with my restaurant team to fully understand the situation. At my restaurant we have a long standing history of creating and maintaining a diverse and inclusive workplace. I am committed to providing training and development opportunities for all and value the contributions of all members of my crew.”

The Daily Meal has reached out to McDonald’s corporation for further comment.

For more on the Illinois-based fast-food chain, here are 11 things you didn’t know about McDonald’s.