A May 28-29 election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board will determine whether a majority of workers at local breakfast sandwich chain Fried Egg I’m In Love are ready to be represented by an independent union they’ve formed. Called Fried Egg Workers Union, it’s affiliated with Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), the same union Burgerville Workers Union is affiliated with.
Fried Egg I’m in Love started in 2012 with a popular food cart and now has 34 non-management employees and restaurants at 3330 N Mississippi Ave. and 3549 SE Hawthorne Blvd. and a food cart at Pioneer Courthouse Square.
Workers told the online food magazine Eater Portland that the union effort isn’t in response to complaints or mismanagement. Instead, they want to maintain current working conditions and have greater say in decision-making as the company continues to grow.