Chipotle permanently closed a restaurant in Augusta, Maine that filed to form a union last month.

"We have been unable to adequately staff this remote restaurant with crew and continue to be plagued with excessive call-outs and lack of availability from existing staff," Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs officer at Chipotle (CMG), said in a statement Tuesday, adding that it's been even harder to find managers to lead the restaurant.

"Because of these ongoing staffing challenges, there is no probability of reopening in the foreseeable future, so we've made the decision to permanently close the restaurant," she said.

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The restaurant had been closed to the public since June 17, Schalow noted, and was open only for staff trainings. Workers at the location will get severance pay, she said.

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The closure has raised alarm bells among union organizers, who accused the chain of trying to stifle workers.

A hearing on whether to proceed with the representation vote was scheduled for Tuesday, according to Jeffrey Young, attorney for Chipotle United, the independent union attempting to organize the Augusta location, but workers learned on Tuesday morning that the store will be shut down for good. The hearing has been postponed indefinitely, Young said.

Chipotle permanently closed a restaurant in Augusta, Maine that filed to form a union last month.

"We have been unable to adequately staff this remote restaurant with crew and continue to be plagued with excessive call-outs and lack of availability from existing staff," Laurie Schalow, chief corporate affairs officer at Chipotle (CMG), said in a statement Tuesday, adding that it's been even harder to find managers to lead the restaurant.

"Because of these ongoing staffing challenges, there is no probability of reopening in the foreseeable future, so we've made the decision to permanently close the restaurant," she said.

*

The restaurant had been closed to the public since June 17, Schalow noted, and was open only for staff trainings. Workers at the location will get severance pay, she said.

*

The closure has raised alarm bells among union organizers, who accused the chain of trying to stifle workers.

A hearing on whether to proceed with the representation vote was scheduled for Tuesday, according to Jeffrey Young, attorney for Chipotle United, the independent union attempting to organize the Augusta location, but workers learned on Tuesday morning that the store will be shut down for good. The hearing has been postponed indefinitely, Young said.