NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS | ...It’s official: A Burgerville goes union From Page 1 in a video statement. “With the same pioneering spirit that Burgerville is known for, we are ready to support the nation’s first fast food union.” Burgerville, headquartered in Vancouver, Washington, is a pri- vately held regional fast food chain with 1,500 employees at 42 locations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Burgerville Workers Union, affiliated with the Portland branch of the Industrial Workers of the World, launched in April 2016, and has been calling for a $5 an hour raise, affordable health benefits, and free child- care. Burgerville Workers Union says it has an active pres- ence at five other locations be- sides the Southeast 92nd and Powell store: Convention Cen- ter, Hawthorne, Southeast 26th and Powell, Portland Airport, and Gladstone. Workers at the Gladstone store at 19119 SE McLoughlin Blvd filed a peti- tion for a NLRB election April 18, and an election will be held there May 12-13. Burgerville also took out a full-page ad in the Oregonian seemingly trumpeting the union vote as another “first” for the trailblazing company — which was also the first fast food chain to switch to cage-free eggs. That’s quite a pivot for a com- pany whose CEO sent a letter to all employees the month after the union effort launched saying “Burgerville does not agree that union representation is in the best interests of our employees or Burgerville.” Burgerville Workers Union said in a press statement that its company-wide boycott will re- main in effect until a fair con- tract is negotiated. The boycott was announced Feb. 2 during a several day strike at four Burg- erville locations, and has been endorsed by 18 unions and by Oregon’s Democratic House Speaker Tina Kotek, among oth- ers. “The struggle of the Burg- erville workers is an inspiration to not just unions, but to all working people,” said Oregon AFL-CIO President Tom Cham- berlain in a press statement of- fering congratulations on the vote. “Workers in Oregon and across the country are watching as this historic campaign moves forward, and Oregon’s union movement stands ready to sup- port Burgerville’s workers how- ever we can.” May 4, 2018 | PAGE 11 Joint Select Committee asks for public comments on multiemployer pension plans Joint Select Committee on Sol- vency of Multiemployer Pension Plans co-chairs U.S. Senators Or- rin Hatch (R-UT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) are seeking input from stakeholders on how to im- prove the solvency of multiem- ployer pension plans and the Pension Benefit Guarantee Cor- poration (PBGC). “As the committee works to report on the solvency of multi- employer pension plans and the Pension Benefit Guarantee Cor- poration and provide recommen- dations to significantly improve their long-term health, I am inter- ested in hearing from stakehold- ers,” Hatch said. “Information and insights, from both the pub- lic and private sectors, will be useful to the committee as it an- alyzes the challenges plaguing the current multiemployer pen- sion system and works to de- velop solutions to strengthen re- tirement security for Americans across the country.” “This committee is finally forcing Congress to treat the pen- sion crisis in this country with the seriousness and urgency Ameri- can workers deserve. Hearing di- rectly from workers, retirees and businesses about what is at stake for them will help the committee craft the best possible solution,” said Brown. Stakeholders can submit input to the Joint Select Committee’s mailbox at JSCSMPP@finance. senate.gov. The deadline to re- spond is Sept. 30, 2018. All sub- missions will be considered part of the public record; should be clear and concise; directed at the issues that the Joint Select Com- mittee is charged to consider; and Turn to Page 12