Chipotle in Lansing, MI Votes Union
With a 11-3 vote Thursday, the Chipotle workforce in Lansing, Michigan became the first in the country to unionize, Reuters reports. The store opted to affiliate with Joint Council 43, International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).
The win comes on the heels of desperate union busting activity by the chain of fast casual restaurants. The story of organizing labor at Chipotle began earlier this year with Chipotle United when a location in Maine initiated the process to unionize.
In a shameful and widely-reviled move, the company closed the Maine location instead of letting its workers’ voices be heard and blacklisted former employees to make it impossible to find work at new locations.
The messaging from Chipotle leadership remains unapologetic. Via CNBC:
“We’re disappointed that the employees at our Lansing, MI restaurant chose to have a third party speak on their behalf because we continue to believe that working directly together is best for our employees,” Chipotle spokesperson Laurie Schalow said in a statement to CNBC.
The Lansing, Michigan location is unionized. That’s done. The next step is contract negotiations, and the tone of the PR statement does not sound like an actor willing to engage in good faith. Watch for legal obfuscation and strategic delay, if Chipotle wants to follow the Starbucks corporate playbook, as union representatives attempt to get this contract done.
With the first location unionized, will more Chipotle stores follow? Stay tuned as this story develops.
