The New York City's Mayor's Office announced this week that it had filed a lawsuit against Chipotle on allegations that it had violated New York City Labor Laws.
Chipotle is being accused of violating "nearly every aspect" NYC's Fair Workweek Law, according to a release by Mayor Bill de Blasio's office. More than 30 workers from five different Brooklyn Chipotle locations filed complaints to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
The allegations in the suit include that Chipotle failed to give workers proper advance and written notice of their schedules. The suit also alleges that Chipotle did not receive written consent from workers or pay compensation for last-minute changes in workers' schedules or for scheduling them for "clopenings," AKA closing the shop up and then opening up again the next morning. Additional allegations include that these locations failed to "notify and offer available shifts to current workers before hiring new workers to fill those shifts" and that their sick leave policy also violated the Earned Safe and Sick Time Act.
"I used to work at the 185 Montague Street Chipotle. I started out as a takeout specialist and I became a service manager. In my time at this Chipotle store, I saw the company violate not one, but all the tenets of the Fair Workweek Law," Steve Vidal, a former Chipotle worker said in a statement via The Mayor's Office.
NYC's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection is seeking "at least" $1 million in restitution for workers as well as addition penalties. The office is also investigating 11 Chipotle locations in Manhattan.
In a statement to Delish, Laurie Schalow, Chief Reputation Officer for Chipotle, said:
With respect to the Fair Workweek Law, Chipotle has been working cooperatively with the city to ensure we have systems and processes in place to comply with the law, so we believe the filing of charges was unnecessary. Regardless, we will continue to cooperate with the city and we are addressing any prior noncompliance concerns.
