In ballots counted May 13, workers at the Gladstone Burgerville restaurant at 19119 SE McLoughlin Blvd. voted 17 to 5 to unionize with the Burgerville Workers Union, which is affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World (IWW).
That marks the second win for the grassroots union in an election administered by the National Labor Relations Board. The first was the store at Southeast 92nd and Powell Boulevard in Portland, which voted “Union Yes” by 18 to 4 on April 23 — becoming the first officially unionized fast food restaurant in the United States.
The union and company management have set May 22 as the date for their first bargaining session for the 92nd Avenue store. The union is calling on members of the public to boycott the company until it signs a fair union contract.
