Chipotle workers in Maine file for chain’s first union election

Employees at a Chipotle Mexican Grill location in Augusta, Maine, filed a petition for a union election Wednesday in a first for the restaurant chain. 

“These workers are demanding safe, adequate staffing at their store. They filed today for union recognition as Chipotle United, an independent union,” the Maine AFL-CIO said in a tweet. 

Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, said in a statement that the Augusta workers raised concerns about staffing levels last week and Chipotle responded by hiring and training additional staff and retraining existing employees. 

“We think our actions in addressing the concerns raised by our crew in Augusta just last week prior to receiving notice of any petition in that location show how quickly we can and do respond to our employees when they directly notify us of their issues and concerns,” she said.

Chipotle has been accused of cracking down on previous organizing efforts. In 2019, the National Labor Relations Board’s general counsel filed a complaint alleging that locations in New York City threatened workers who attempted to unionize and fired an employee who complained about workplace issues.

New York City has filed its own lawsuits accusing Chipotle of violating the city’s predictable-scheduling law by changing employees’ schedules without notice and refusing to give them sufficient paid sick leave. 

Chipotle is the most recent chain to receive notice of its first ever union petition as organizing efforts spread across the nation. 

The movement was sparked by a unionization effort at Starbucks, where more than 230 stores have filed for union petitions and over 50 stores have successfully voted to unionize. Workers at an Apple store in Maryland on Saturday became the tech giant’s first location to unionize.