A year after the Burgerville Workers Union ratified its first contract covering five Portland-area fast food restaurants, a sixth store wants in. Workers at the Burgerville on Southeast 26th and Powell Boulevard on Nov. 28 filed for a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) election and served their boss with the paperwork. The proposed bargaining unit covers all 37 non-management workers at the store.
Workers at the Powell store first announced their union interest on Sept. 26 and demanded voluntary recognition from company management. The company declined voluntary recognition, spurring the NLRB filing. Election details have not yet been set.
The Labor Press spoke with Burgerville worker Rowan Perrin the day the union was announced in September. She said workers became interested in the union when they realized they had no route to meaningfully address complaints about store management. So, workers got in touch with the Burgerville Workers Union to see about affiliating. They learned they could gain other protections, like just-cause termination rather than at-will employment, and weigh in on their work conditions.
“The goal is to build a line of communication, having a seat at the table,” said Perrin, who said she also learned the value of unionization from talking with her stepdad, a Carpenters member.
Workers at the five union Burgerville shops voted to affiliate in 2018 and 2019. They are located at 3504 SE 92nd Ave., 19119 SE McLoughlin Blvd., 1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd., 1135 NE Martin Luther King Blvd. and 8218 NE Glisan St.
