Chipotle’s US Union Dissolves Without Securing Labor Contract

The Teamsters union has forfeited its rare union foothold at a Michigan Chipotle restaurant following more than three years without securing a contract, showing the steep challenges for US unions even at companies where workers voted to organize.

In an email last month, a local Teamsters president informed the US National Labor Relations Board that the union “officially withdraws and disclaims interest” in representing Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. employees at the Lansing location — the burrito chain’s first and only unionized US restaurant. The message, obtained by Bloomberg News through the Freedom of Information Act, means Chipotle will no longer be legally required to recognize or ...