One month after national fast-food chain Chipotle saw its first store vote to go union, in Augusta, Maine they closed it and blacklisted the employees. In a settlement, Chipotle has agreed to pay impacted employees between $5,800 and $21,000 dollars, based on a number of employment factors. The terminated employees will also be offered positions in other locations, and the company will post notices that unionization is not and can not be used as a basis for discrimination.
That settlement comes after the National Labor Relations Board found Chipotle violated the National Labor Relations Act when it closed the Augusta location after workers went public with their union campaign and subsequently blacklisted them.
Under the settlement, the workers will get between $5,800 and $21,000, based on their average hours worked, pay rate and their length of employment at the Augusta Chipotle, according to the Maine AFL-CIO.
"This isn't just a victory for Chipotle United. It's a win for food service workers across the country. It sends a message to corporations that shutting down a store and blackballing workers didn't work for Chipotle and it won't work for them either," Brandi McNease, a former Augusta Chipotle worker and lead Chipotle United organizer, said in a Monday morning statement announcing the settlement.
