US: How Zoomers Organized the First Chipotle Union

Jonah Furman

Labor Notes | August 31, 2022

None of the members of the organizing committee at the Lansing Chipotle have any direct union experience. They relied on friends who had organized at Starbucks and at a local library for advice on their campaign. Photo: Atulya Dora-Laskey

Chipotle workers in Lansing, Michigan, formed the fast food chain’s first recognized union in the U.S., voting 11-3 on August 25 to join Teamsters Local 243. It’s the latest in a string of new organizing breakthroughs at prominent national brands, from Starbucks to Apple to Trader Joe’s to REI.

Of all the employers that have seen union drives over the past year, Chipotle—with 100,000 employees across 3,000 stores, and long-term plans to double its footprint in North America—is the most similar to Starbucks. They’re both outliers in fast food: their stores are primarily corporate-owned, rather than franchised out to smaller operators.

Though chains like Subway and McDonald’s have more total locations, Starbucks and Chipotle are two of just four fast food chains with more than 1,000 company-operated locations. (The others are Panda Express and Arby’s.)

U.S: T-Shirt Ban Energizes Michigan Nurses

by Anne Jackson

Labor Notes | Auguest 01, 2018

Staffing, overwork, and compensation are the top issues for Michigan nurses. Members are going rogue and new red shirts are springing up all over. Photo: Anne Jackson

Stewards and active rank and filers at the University of Michigan Hospital have been working hard to engage a membership that has not had to fight for a contract in seven years. It was slow going at first, trying to get 5,800 nurses at maize and blue U of M to wear red to show our union solidarity as we bargain.