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Chipotle employees picket in Michigan
Members of the Teamsters picketed and leafleted outside of Chipotle restaurants in Lansing and Detroit on August 26, pushing demands for a wage increase and other concessions. Chipotle workers at one of the chain’s Lansing restaurants are represented by Local 243.
“These hardworking Teamsters aren’t going to back down from a fight for fair wages, increased safety standards, a fair process for scheduling, and protection from retaliation,” said Scott Quenneville, president of Local 243. “Chipotle is a multibillion-dollar enterprise. They can easily afford our demands.”
The workers, who held signs that said, “Our Labor Costs Extra,” and “Union Busting is Disgusting – Solidarity is Delicious,” are the only unionized Chipotle employees in the country. The demonstrations come only a few days after a National Labor Relations Board prosecutor charged the company with unlawfully withholding raises as a way to punish the workers for unionizing.
“The NLRB is doing the right thing by bringing charges against this company,” Quenneville said. “Chipotle’s management is trying every nasty tactic they can think of to stop workers from getting a fair contract. It’s not working.”
“Instead of listening to us and addressing our concerns, this company is trying to bury its head in the sand,” said Atulya Dora-Laskey, a Chipotle Teamster in Lansing and member of the union’s negotiating committee. “They have tried intimidating the messenger into silence by retaliating against unionized crew members. We feel vindicated by the recent NLRB ruling. This retaliation has only cemented for us why it’s so important that Chipotle crew unionize. Our union support is higher than ever as we fight to wrap up this contract.”
Teamsters Local 243, with union halls in Lansing and Plymouth Township, represents more than 4,000 workers across Michigan.
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