Chipotle Allegedly Threw ‘Parties’ Where Off-The-Clock Workers Cleaned For Free

Last week we learned of a lawsuit against Chipotle claiming that almost 10,000 current and former employees across the country were forced to work unpaid hours for the pseudo-Mexican chain.

Now there are some bizarre specifics to that alleged free work, as one of those involved in the lawsuit emphasized that Chipotle held “cleaning parties,” where employees came in on their off days and helped clean the store, while off the clock, according to CNN Money.

Araceli Gutierrez was a manager at Chipotle and said she was a part of these parties. At the time, she thought she was getting paid for those off-day store cleanings, but later found out she wasn’t getting a dime for her troubles.

Gutierrez also stated that at times, she’d get calls from her higher-ups, asking her to send people home, or make them clock out because labor costs were “high right now,” according to her CNN interview.

A lot of these stories keep trickling in, even from our own Foodbeast readers, as a former Chipotle staffer named Kimmy Barber commented on a previous article of ours:

“I used to work there, and if you were working close, no matter how late you stayed you HAD to punch out at midnight. Wish I had answered the letters from lawyers asking if I had wanted a piece, damn. …They didn’t hold a gun to my head, [but] they made it very clear that I was required to do so. At the time I was not aware of my rights and did not question it because I like being employed.”

 

Chipotle said that these stories aren’t consistent with their company guidelines and were probably led by a few “rogue managers.”

Only time will tell how far this massive dispute goes, but the accusations are many, and Chipotle‘s downward spiral seems to continue.