Workers who are forming a union at Burgerville, headquartered in Vancouver, WA, say that ILWU Local 4 members were a big help from the start of their campaign, and that ILWU Local 8 has supported their boycott. Learn more at their Facebook page.
Burgerville solidarity march
Workers at a Burgerville in Southeast Portland said they plan to file for a federal union election, a move that could place employees of the fast-food franchise at the forefront of a national labor fight.
Flanked by supporters, employees made the announcement outside the company’s Vancouver headquarters Monday.
The group said the company had 48 hours to voluntarily recognize a 2-year-old union created by workers, which has pushed for a $5 hour raise.
Should the company decline, workers will petition the National Labor Relations Board for a government-administered election to be held at their store sometime in April.
A victory would make the store the first federally recognized fast-food workers union in the U.S., organizers said.
In April 2016, members of the Industrial Workers of the World — better known as the Wobblies — helped launch the Burgerville Workers Union. Emmett Schlenz, a campaign spokesman, said six of the company’s 42 locations now have publicly active unions.