NLRB Region 1-Boston Obtains Settlement with Chipotle with $240,000 in Backpay and Front Pay, Preferential Hiring, and Notice Posting in 40 Stores

On March 24, 2023, NLRB Region 1-Boston Regional Director Laura Sacks approved a settlement agreement between Chipotle Mexican Grill (Chipotle) and Chipotle United (Union).

The settlement resolved two unfair labor practice charges filed against Chipotle in Augusta, Maine. alleging that after employees filed a union petition with the NLRB, Chipotle unlawfully closed its Augusta store and terminated staff on the day the NLRB hearing on the petition was scheduled to commence. On November 3, 2022, Regional Director Sacks issued a complaint on the charges and on March 24, 2023, she approved a settlement agreement.

Under the settlement agreement, Chipotle will provide $240,000 in backpay and front pay to 24 employees, offer preferential hiring to these employees for any Chipotle job opening in Maine, and post a Notice advising employees of their NLRA rights at 40 stores throughout Chipotle’s Northern New England Sub-Region.

“I’m proud of Region 1 staff for securing this settlement for the unlawfully terminated Chipotle employees. Workers have the right to form a union and bargain with their employer, and employers should be held accountable for their unlawful activity,” said Regional Director Laura Sacks.

Established in 1935, the National Labor Relations Board is an independent federal agency that protects employees, employers, and unions from unfair labor practices and protects the right of private sector employees to join together, with or without a union, to improve wages, benefits and working conditions. The NLRB conducts hundreds of workplace elections and investigates thousands of unfair labor practice charges each year. Region 1 serves areas in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont from its Regional Office in Boston and Subregional Office in Hartford.