Operations

Chipotle pushes back against 'unfair workforce' accusations

iStock

April 29, 2021

The lawsuit that New York City filed this week against Chipotle is a "dramatic overreach," according to Laurie Schalow, Chipotle chief corporate affairs officer.

The city's Department of Consumer and Worker Protection at the Office of Administrative Trials and Hearing officially filed the suit, alleging that the Denver-based chain owed workers more than $150 million stemming from "hundreds of thousands of violations of the Fair Workweek Law," which mandates that workers must have 14 days advance notice of schedules or receive extra pay.

The violations took place between November 2017 and September 2019, according to the lawsuit, which claimed that Chipotle failed to give New York City workers sufficient notice or the extra pay they were owed.

"We make it a practice to not comment on litigation and will not do so in this case, except to say the proceeding filed today by DCWP is a dramatic overreach and Chipotle will vigorously defend itself," Schalow said Thursday in an email to FastCasual. "Chipotle remains committed to its employees and their right to a fair, just, and humane work environment that provides opportunities to all."