Chipotle employees rally for pay worth more than beans

“Chipotle is raising the cost of its burritos but won’t raise the wages of its employees? That just doesn’t make sense to me,” Ed Dealecio, an employee of the fast-casual restaurant chain said at a May 25 rally in Midtown, where about 200 Chipotle workers, union allies and elected officials called for pay increases and fair scheduling.

Employees at Chipotle locations across New York City, who are not unionized, have been working with organizers at 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union to improve working conditions. They are demanding a $20 minimum wage, stable schedules and safety upgrades.

'Willing to put bodies on the line'

Following a march along Sixth Avenue, 11 people were arrested for blocking the intersection of Sixth and 56th Street, among them state Senator Jessica Ramos and six Chipotle workers.  

“Workers are willing to put their bodies on the line for $20 and a fair workweek,” said Candis Tall, vice president of 32BJ. Chipotle employees at more than a dozen locations have also gone on strike over the past week. 

Alyssa Roman, a 21-year-old Chipotle worker who is pregnant, has been at the forefront of the organizing effort. Earlier this year, she and her co-workers filed a petition to form a workplace safety committee guaranteed under the NY HERO Act in order to address Covid safety concerns at the chain’s location at 269 Amsterdam Ave. Their request was ignored, according to 32BJ.

“I may be small but my voice is very powerful. I am not disposable and neither is my labor and neither [are] my co-workers,” said Roman, who has since transferred to another location in Manhattan. “Chipotle’s CEO [Brian Niccol] was paid $38 million in 2020 alone. I promise you, they can afford to pay us more.”

Several elected officials came out to support the workers’ demands, including Assembly Member Latoya Joyner. “I’m a firm believer that those who prepare our food should not have to worry about how they’re going to pay for their next meal,” she said.

City Council Member Julie Menin praised fast-food workers for their previous successful campaign to raise the minimum wage. “You all led the Fight for $15 and now we’re going to lead the Fight for $20,” she said, alluding to the nationwide effort to raise the minimum wage to $15 that began a decade ago.

In a statement, Laurie Schalow, Chipotle’s chief corporate affairs officer, said that the average hourly wage rose 11 percent to $17.37 per hour for 4,000 Chipotle employees across New York City. “Chipotle is committed to creating a safe and engaging work environment for its employees by offering industry-leading benefits such as debt-free degrees, tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per year, competitive health benefits and eligibility for quarterly bonuses for all employees,” she said.

Nearly 200% turnover

Many Chipotle employees also say they’ve had their hours slashed and have had trouble obtaining full-time schedules, despite the fact that the company reported a turnover rate of 194 percent last year.

The chain, which has more than 100 locations in the five boroughs, has previously come under fire for reportedly skirting labor laws. In April 2021, the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs filed a complaint alleging that Chipotle violated the city’s Fair Workweek Law nearly 600,000 times between November 2017 and September 2019.

The law requires fast-food businesses to provide workers with advance notice of their schedules, and prohibits employers from firing an employee or cutting workers’ hours by more than 15 percent without just cause. The complaint, which has not yet been settled, alleges that Chipotle owes its employees more than $150 million in damages.

Ramos, who chairs the state Senate’s Labor Committee, forewarned the company, saying she was “watching” the behemoth burrito chain. “We have been passing laws in order to improve workers’ quality of life and you have been out of compliance. We know that you can do so much better,” she said.

“I am sick and tired of watching huge corporations like Chipotle exploit their workers and flagrantly ignore the law to line their own pockets,” added Assembly Member Linda Rosenthal.

Julian Mitchell-Israel, field director of the newly-formed Amazon Labor Union, related to the Chipotle workers’ struggles. “Just like we are fighting out in Staten Island, we have your back,” he said. “One union, one fight.”

clewis@thechiefleader.com