Chipotle Employees in Maine Move to Unionize

A Chipotle Mexican Grill location in Augusta, Maine, has become the first Chipotle (Newport Beach, Calif.) store to file a petition for a union election, CNBC reports. The employees are requesting to establish an independent union dubbed Chipotle United.

Last week, the staff at the same Chipotle location walked out in protest of staffing problems. These employees also made claims that they often feel they have to falsify food temperature records because their understaffing issues do not allow them to check the temperatures as many times a day as required by food safety regulations.

Chipotle’s Chief Corporate Affairs Officer Laurie Schalow told CNBC that after concerns were brought to Chipotle’s attention, the company immediately begin hiring, training, re-training and bringing in new leadership to the store.

“We received notice today that a petition was filed. We respect our employees’ rights under the National Labor Relations Act and are committed to ensuring a fair, just, and humane work environment that provides opportunities for all,” Schalow says.

In 2019, Chipotle was accused by the National Labor Relations Board of violating federal labor laws through firing an employee in New York who was seeking to organize a union.