Labor and employment partner Raymond Berti in New York spoke with Franchise Times about the historic $20 million settlement Chipotle Mexican Grill agreed to pay to approximately 13,000 workers in New York City after an investigation found Chipotle violated workers’ rights to paid sick leave and to predictable schedules. Recognized as the largest fair workweek settlement in the United States and the biggest labor protection settlement in the City’s history, the settlement points to a growing trend of worker-side victories over the past five to ten years that all corporate restaurant franchisors should be watching, Berti said.

Franchise Times wrote: “'We have seen a variety of worker-friendly laws get passed at the state and local level across the country,' Berti said, 'from paid family leave laws to whistleblower protection laws to laws that prohibit companies from considering factors like criminal arrest and/or credit history information when making employment decisions.'

"Outside of New York City, only Oregon and fewer than 10 local governments have enacted fair workweek—also called predictive scheduling—laws, which are typically limited to larger employers in the hospitality and retail industries.

"While enforcement of these laws has been fairly limited to date, 'this settlement might embolden labor and employment departments across the country to investigate and/or prosecute similar violations,' Berti warned."