Restaurant Employees Need More Protections, Say Chipotle Workers in Cicero

Image description: A white concrete building with metal, black framed windows and doors on the bottom, stands in the middle ground with a red sign with white letters that reads “Chipotle” on the top. In the foreground is a parking lot. On the right …

Image from Google Maps

By Luis Velazquez

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of COVID-19 cases in Cicero, restaurant workers say they need more protections to stay safe during the pandemic.

Jailene Marquez, a previous worker at a Chipotle located in Cicero, tweeted on November 20, 2020, about the working conditions at the location. She urged people not to visit the restaurant following several positive COVID-19 results from employees.

Cicero Independiente reached out to a general manager at the Cicero location but he was not able to provide any comment. A spokesperson for the chain said that, “the health and safety of our employees and guests is our top priority.”

Yet, another Chipotle worker, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, said they don’t feel protected enough in the workplace. This worker believes they contracted COVID at work. Before getting a positive test result in November, they had spent the majority of their time working and picking up shifts.

The worker said staff was not notified about other workers being sick with COVID. Workers at Chipotle assumed that if someone stopped coming to work it was because they tested positive but, the worker says, the general managers should have been more transparent with staff about positive cases amongst employees.

“I thought it was like a responsibility for them to tell their employees who is sick just in case you came into contact with them or just in case you had a shift with them,” said the Chipotle worker. “I have noticed in a lot of restaurants and retail jobs, that their cashiers have shields that cover them in the register. We don't even have that.”

Marquez said she wishes other fast-food locations and Chipotle in Cicero would prioritize the working conditions and health of fast-food workers.

“If one or two of their employees become positive, I just hope that they can go ahead and shut down and sanitize and make sure their employees are healthy enough to go back to work because we cannot be infecting other people, especially their customers,” Marquez said.

Marquez recalls that she herself became sick last year. She started to feel symptoms around November 2. She told her manager that same day.

“I was scheduled for [work] the following day. I asked one of my co-workers, ‘Hey, is it okay if you can cover my shift? I'm not feeling well’,” said Marquez who was able to find someone to cover her shift. “I contacted my manager because I was continuously feeling sick.”

Her manager was respectful and understanding in the beginning, according to Marquez. The manager contacted Safety, Security, Risk, an online nurse service provided by Chipotle. The service is used to verify an employee’s sickness. Marquez said SSR gives employees an estimate of how many days they should take off before going back to work if they happen to be sick, in this case with COVID.

SSR notified Marquez that she was allowed to go back to work on November 17, which was the 15th day of her ongoing symptoms. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a 14 day self quarantine.

“Even though SSR told me to come back on that certain day, I was still telling [the general manager] that I was still feeling sick ... They said that they needed me there,” said Marquez.

Marquez said other coworkers were also sick at the same time.

In addition, the general manager would allow customers to come inside the restaurant without a mask on but made an exception if they were able to cover their mouths with their shirts, according to the anonymous Chipotle worker. Chipotle policy requires employees and customers to wear masks in their restaurants, according to their corporate spokesperson.

Starting January 25, essential workers under Phase 1B and people 65 and older will have the opportunity to receive the vaccine pending availability. Essential workers include grocery store workers and teachers, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The Cicero Community Center, located on 49th Avenue and 23rd Street, is a vaccine distribution center.

Luis Velazquez is a contributing reporter for Cicero Independiente and is currently studying journalism at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.