News

Former Chipotle employees in D.C. protest recent firings

March 23, 2011

According to the WashingtonPost.com, about 40 former employees of Chipotle restaurants throughout Washington D.C. gathered Wednesday to protest terminations due to discrepancies in employment documents related to their immigration statuses.

The workers were fired on March 9 after the chain reviewed two D.C. restaurants and found that some workers were not able to prove their immigration status.

“We found that these workers were not legally authorized to work in this country,” said Chris Arnold, Chipotle spokesman. “Many workers left immediately, but we had to let others go because we can’t employ them under the law because they are not legally authorized to work in the United States.”

The fired employees are asking for an apology from the company and compensation for outstanding wages and overtime.

In January, Chipotle fired a substantial number of workers throughout 50 of its Minnesota restaurants also citing inconsistencies in immigration statuses.