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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2017)
NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | Burgerville union campaign marks one year Members and supporters of the Burg- erville Workers Union marked their cam- paign’s one year anniversary by demon- strating outside a handful of local Burgerville restaurants April 26. At the fast food chain’s Southeast 26th and Powell location, across the street from Cleveland High School, union supporters handed out free pizza to students — while making an appeal not to eat lunch at Burg- erville that day. Students enthusiastically took them up on the deal, and many agreed to wear union pins that read “Cleveland Stands With Burgerville Workers Union.” At other locations, supporters entered restaurants and locked arms in front of the counter, briefly shutting down sales. The Convention Center location has been repeatedly targeted by union demon- strations, including a Feb. 25 demonstra- tion in which over 100 members of SEIU Local 49 marched into the store holding signs, and an Oct. 25 demonstration at which supporters surrounded the store and handed out free burgers supplied by the Carpenters Union. Burgerville Workers Union, affiliated with the Industrial Workers of the World, is calling for a $5 an hour raise for all Burgerville workers. They currently make at or near the legal minimum wage. Corporate has not been friendly to the union effort: In letters and a video all em- ployees were made to watch, Burgerville “Cleveland Stands With Burgerville Workers Union,” says pins designed by Burgerville worker Emmaly Light, a 2014 Cleveland High School grad. Light says she likes her job at the 26th and Powell Burgerville, and hasn’t experienced management backlash for her support of the union. But she’d like the com- pany to allow tip jars, and provide mats or stools to lessen strain on drive-through workers. She looks to the union as a way for workers to get improve- ments like that. “I believe we’ll be able to get more done as a group than as individuals,” Light said. CEO Jeff Harvey argued against a union, saying it would not be in the best interest of employees. And several open union supporters have been fired by the com- pany since the campaign launched. At the Vancouver Plaza Burgerville, union supporter Jordan Vaandering was fired Jan. 18, ostensibly for failing to pay for a bagel that a manager served him while on break. The next day he marched with supporters into the store and de- manded his job back. Burgerville called the police and had him arrested for tres- pass. Since Burgerville Workers Union pub- licly announced itself on April 26, 2016, their campaign has received a statement of support from Bernie Sanders, and en- dorsement by the Oregon AFL-CIO and half a dozen other labor organizations. Union members and supporters have en- gaged in a variety of tactics, including brief store occupations and wildcat place- ment of tip jars (soon taken down by man- agers). In February, the union announced the launch of a benefits program, includ- ing food boxes, discounted bus passes, up to 4 hours a month of free babysitting, and GED test preparation classes. The union has so far stopped short of calling for an ongoing boycott of the 42- store chain. MORE: Find out more about the Burgerville Workers Union at burgervilleworkersunion.org, and keep up with the latest developments by liking the group’s page at facebook.com/burgervilleworkersunion May 5, 2017 | PAGE 5 Is that what they call the Portland Spirit? A riverboat owner’s rant against recent pro-worker laws turns away a union convention host American Postal Workers Union (APWU) is considering Port- land for a national health plan conference, so the union’s na- tional president asked Portland- based APWU Local 128 legisla- tive director Daniel Cortez to do some advance ground work. Cortez was to research options for delegates to socialize — like a cocktail mixer or river cruise — something to showcase Port- land after a day of meetings. Cortez thought: What about a Willamette River dinner cruise aboard the Portland Spirit? As Cortez reported to delegates at the April 24 meeting of the Northwest Oregon Labor Coun- cil, a trip to the company’s web site made him drop that idea. On the site, company presi- dent Dan Yates bemoans all the burdens he suffers from recent acts of government: a signifi- cant minimum wage increase, paid sick leave, a “ban the box” policy barring employers from asking about felony convictions on the initial employment appli- cation. And now, horror of hor- rors, the state of Oregon may in- stitute “Two Week Schedules” for all employees, Yates writes, “with potential penalties for em- ployers that reduce or add hours to an employee’s schedule.” What is a low-wage employer of 250 mostly part-time employ- ees to do? For Yates, the answer is: Charge extra fees — and let the public know why. Oregon unions fought for all the policies Yates complained about — to help some of the poorest workers in the state. So APWU won’t be patronizing the Portland Spirit, Cortez decided. Yates, a member of the Portland Business Alliance, may have complained himself out of sev- eral hundred customers. Low Prices! Jill Alcantar 360.787.6975 Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6
