Chipotle Restaurant Votes to Unionize

​Employees at a Chipotle Mexican Grill in Lansing, Mich., have voted to unionize—the first union at the nationwide fast-food chain. We've gathered articles on the news from SHRM Online and other media outlets.

A Milestone

The unionization vote is a milestone in the fast-food industry, where unions have struggled to gain a foothold because of the franchising model and high turnover.

Chipotle offers its employees industry-leading benefits, such as competitive wages, debt-free degrees, tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per year, health benefits and quarterly bonuses for all employees, said Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs officer at Chipotle. "We're disappointed that the employees at our Lansing, Mich., restaurant chose to have a third party speak on their behalf because we continue to believe that working directly together is best for our employees."

(The Washington Post)

Employee Celebrates Win

"Today's victory is an amazing moment for our team that has worked so hard and spent many months organizing," said an 18-year-old crew member who has worked at the Lansing location for over two years. "We set out to show that our generation can make substantial change in this world and improve our working conditions by taking action collectively."

(NPR via WUNC)

High Win Rate for Unions in First Half of Year

Unions are having recent success at organizing; prevailing in 641 National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections in the first half of the year. That's the highest level at the midyear point since 2005. Starbucks has made the news for unionization votes, but other union wins involving large numbers of employees have come at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Kaiser Permanente and Stanford Health Care.

(Bloomberg Law)

Closed Restaurant

In June, a Chipotle restaurant in Augusta, Maine, became the chain's first grill to file for a union election. The company then shut the location. The union has filed a complaint with the NLRB, claiming that the move was retaliatory. The company has cited staffing problems as the reason for the closure.

(CNBC)

Union Approval Rating Reaches Highest Point Since 1965

Most people in the U.S.—71 percent—approve of labor unions, the highest approval rating recorded on this measure since 1965, according to a recent survey from Gallup. Nevertheless, most nonunion workers don't want to join the labor movement, according to another survey. 

(SHRM Online)