Restaurant giant Chipotle commits to increase base wages for workers to a $15/hr average. The announcement comes alongside a new push to hire 20,000 new employees. In addition, there are plans to open 200 more stores this year.
The wage increases, which will apply to new and existing hourly and salaried Chipotle workers, will be introduced “over the next few weeks” and will result in starting hourly wages ranging from $11 to $18 an hour, the fast casual said in a statement.
Restaurants across the nation have struggled to staff themselves after the COVID pandemic. As a result, a reckoning was prompted in an industry known for tip-reliant wages and fast-paced working conditions. In addition to offering higher wages, restaurants have begun offering signing bonuses and other incentives to find employees.
The compensation increases come amid scrutiny and legal challenges over Chipotle’s alleged violation of child labor laws and employee wage theft.
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