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