Michigan Chipotle Location Becomes the Chain’s First to Unionize | Eater

"Workers at the Lansing, Michigan restaurant voted last week to form a union, becoming the first organized workplace among the chain’s roughly 3,000 outlets. The effort was driven by complaints about low wages (some employees earning about $13/hour), too few scheduled hours, and having to perform tasks outside their normal responsibilities; organizers pointed out that Michigan’s minimum wage is $9.87 while a living wage for a single adult in Lansing is estimated at $15.65. Backed by the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, employees said they seek improved schedules, higher pay, respect from management, and the protections of a Teamster contract, and the union release argued the company — which reported roughly $7.5 billion in revenue last year (a 26% increase from 2020) — can afford to meet those demands. Company spokespeople responded that they value their employees and highlighted benefits such as tuition reimbursement, health coverage, and $37 million in bonuses paid to about 100,000 workers last year." - Bettina Makalintal