Chipotle: Protect workers and customers with safety protocols and better working conditions!

My name is Teodora Flores, and I work at the Empire State Building Chipotle, prepping, cooking, and serving food with my coworkers on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis. When I became the sole provider of my family, Chipotle cut my hours and failed to take workplace safety seriously at my store. I know I am not alone. My Chipotle coworkers and I understand that the same structural racism that put us at risk of policing policies is at play at how we are treated in the fast food industry. As disproportionately Black and Brown workers, we stand together in demanding that the corporation that we work for values our lives like it should.

Chipotle workers have been raising the alarm over conditions that are putting both customers and workers at risk during this pandemic. As essential workers we are providing food for our communities, but many of us have to work without safety measures like enforced social distancing. Many have seen our hours cut — reducing our eligibility for sick days and making us vulnerable to dangerous subway commutes. On top of that, our hazard pay is insulting, and Chipotle plans to remove it imminently. As stores reopen and Chipotle workers come into contact with an influx of customers, we do not need less hazard pay, we need 50% more.

Chipotle workers face potential exposure to COVID-19 at the workplace for a paycheck that isn’t enough to support our families. To add insult to injury, if my coworkers and I were to contract COVID-19 on the job, most of us do not have access to affordable, quality health care. We believe everyone should have access to health care and safe working conditions—not just for Chipotle workers but for all.

The health and safety of the customers we serve are directly tied to the health and safety of Chipotle workers. Chipotle is a company with a history of high-profile food-borne illness outbreaks that have sickened hundreds across the country over the last several years. Chipotle recently agreed to pay the largest-ever fine in a food-safety case of over $25 million over incidents that included workers working sick after feeling pressured not to call out. Chipotle turnover is 145% — lowering the skills and experience among workers handling food and sanitizing stores, which undermines safety. The coronavirus has highlighted the danger of standard industry practices for essential workers and the public. Chipotle should focus on fostering a stable and professional workforce that can focus on public safety. Chipotle’s stock price has risen to historic levels during the COVID-19 pandemic. The company has never been better position to meet our needs — the essential workers so central to Chipotle’s success.

We are calling on Chipotle to live up to its ‘food with integrity’ slogan and protect customers and workers alike.

Workers like us are calling on the company to:
✔ immediately ensure we have proper personal protective equipment and plexiglass barriers and inform us of workplace exposure to COVID-19.
✔ enforce safe social distancing practices in all stores and provide workers with sufficient hazard pay and hours to support our families during the pandemic.
✔ provide stable, full-time hours to all workers who want them in compliance with New York City’s Fair Workweek Law and to make sure more we have access to sick days to keep the public safe.

Chipotle workers are essential to keeping stores running safely during the COVID-19 outbreak and beyond. Tell Chipotle that selling ‘food with integrity’ means protecting the safety and well-being of workers and the customers we serve.

We are fighting for ourselves and the public. Will you join us by signing this?