Chipotle’s payroll issues have been rolling out for quite some time now. It was back in late August when CNN reported that nearly 10,000 workers sued Chipotle for unpaid wages. It was reported that the fast-growing Mexican food chain often made their employees clock out of work when they reached 40 hours, but still continue to work, unpaid.
Now Alex Simon of St. Louis, believes he was fired for wrongful reasons. Working at Chipotle since he was 17, Simon received a promotion to manage a Chipotle in Little Rock. Offering him $6,000 for the move from St. Louis to Little Rock, Simon was set for his new destination. In July of 2016, Simon was the assistant manager, often being told by the people above his position—to shave off any employee’s hours once they’ve reached 40 hours, not allowing them receive overtime pay.
“It was directly said, ‘You know, if you need to go into the computer and shave hours off, do it,'” Simon said of the managers.
However, despite the higher ups wanting to cut “labor costs,” Simon wouldn’t budge, ultimately causing him his job and the moving bonus.
“All of our policies clearly require that employees are paid for all of the time they work,” spokesman Chris Arnold said of Chipotle’s policies. “We have simple procedures in place for employees to resolve any errors in their payroll should any such issue arise.”
Now 23-year-old Alex Simon, takes his battle to court. It was job that he exceeded in, even dropping out of community college because of his fast-pace of growth. Simon is not alone in his fight, as more than 10,000 Chipotle workers [or former], fight for their correct wages and labor.
