Chipocrites!
Chipotle seems more worried about the ethical treatment of its the beef and vegetables than its immigrant workers
A week before Christmas, about 150 workers at the fast
food Mexican restaurant Chipotle in the Twin cities, were fired on the spot
with out notice and without explanation.
Workers organized with the help of a coalition including MIRAC, CTUL,
and SEIU local 26, and took over one of the Chipotle stores for more than a
half hour until the Corporate office in Denver agreed to talk with an elected
group of the workers.
As the facts became clear, Chipotle was required by
Immigrations and customs enforcement (ICE) to re-verify the work authorization
of these workers, but rather than give workers 90 days to clear up any problems
with their documents (as other companies locally have done when audited by ICE)
the company fired them on the spot. In
many cases, workers didn’t receive their last pay checks for almost two weeks,
a violation of Minnesota law.
Chipotle is a company that prides itself on its “food
with integrity” label, by taking leadership on using only sustainable
ingredients and humane treatment of its animals. BUT THERE IS NO FOOD WITH INTEGRITY IF THE
PEOPLE WHO MAKE THE FOOD ARE TREATED WITHOUT THE SAME RESPECT.
The workers have given a list of issues to Chipotle,
calling on them to once again lead the industry in a higher ethical standard:
- Back pay and penalties for the lost time at work for the
fired chipotle staff
- Publicly supporting legalization for immigrant workers
- Stop using suppliers who give significant funds to
anti-immigrant politicians.
It is time that the companies which depend on immigrant
workers and customers know that they will be held to this same standard: it is
no longer acceptable to make ones profit from immigrants while supporting
practices and politicians that are anti-immigrant.