Chipotle Workers File Wage and Hour Class Action Lawsuit

Tens of thousands of employees at Chipotle Mexican Grills around the U.S. have joined an employee class action lawsuit against their employer for, among other things, failing to appropriately compensate overtime, include rest breaks, and meet minimum wage standards. A court in Los Angeles recently approved a $2 million wage and hour settlement with more than 38,000 plaintiffs for similar allegations against Chipotle, but more lawsuits for employment law violations are underway.

These wage and hour allegations have cropped up despite Chipotle recently extending paid sick leave, vacation, and tuition reimbursement to its hourly workers across the country.

Plaintiffs have joined the Chipotle wage and hour class action lawsuit for various reasons, among them employee misclassification. The Chipotle wage and hour lawsuit alleges the company would promote crew members to higher positions, such as an apprentice manager, in order to avoid paying them overtime wages. Plaintiffs claim that there were no real differences between their work as a crew member and their elevated position as an apprentice manager.

According to the wage and hour plaintiffs, no additional managerial training was involved. Instead, required hours of work per week rose by up to half, because of the extra expectations placed on those in management positions when crew members call in sick. Because these would-be managers were now considered exempt employees, they could not claim overtime for their extra work.

Other employees allege they worked off the clock, completing tasks such as cleaning the store after hours or attending mandatory meetings outside of their shift, according to the Chipotle wage and hour lawsuit. These are simple ways which an employer can quietly exploit their employees and end up paying unfair wages in compensation for their employees’ full hours of work.

Wage and Hour Lawsuits

In the past, workers who believed or even knew they are being treated unfairly under employment laws may have chosen to keep quiet and refrain from filing a wage and hour lawsuit against their employer, for fear that they might lose their job. This is beginning to change, and employees are starting to both learn and excercise their labor rights.

Chipotle has commented that these kinds of cases are occurring more often across the United States, and are far from unique to their company.

It’s true – under the Fair Labor Standards act, similar wage and hour lawsuits have more than doubled in the past decade. The law, according to an attorney at Mountain States Employers Council, is confusing. Employees’ attorneys have realized that the law, first written during the Great Depression, leaves plenty of opportunity for interpretation in the modern-day workplace.

Chipotle has settled three separate wage and hour lawsuits in Maryland, California, and Florida. Wage and hour lawsuits in Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas are pending class action certification.

Employment laws are not nearly as clear as the general population assumes, and many people across the United States do not know that their labor rights are being violated.

If you work for or have worked for Chipotle or another company, and believe you may have experienced action that contradicts employment laws, such as unpaid overtime, employee misclassification, or failure to meet minimum wage you may be able to join a wage and hour class action lawsuit.

Join a Free Wage & Hour Class Action Lawsuit Investigation

If you were forced to work off the clock or without overtime pay within the past 3 years, you have rights – and you don’t have to take on the company alone.

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