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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 1, 2019)
PAGE 2 | November 1, 2019 | NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS ...Burgerville strike From Page 1 (International Standard Serial Number 0894-444X) Established in 1900 in Portland, Oregon as a voice of the la- bor movement. Published on a semi-monthly basis on the first and third Fridays of each month by the Oregon Labor Press Publishing Co. Inc., a non-profit mutual benefit corpo- ration owned by 20 unions and councils including the Ore- gon AFL-CIO. Serving more than 120 union organizations in Oregon and Southwest Washington. Office location: 4275 NE Halsey St., Portland, Oregon Mailing address: P.O. Box 13150, Portland, OR 97213 Phone: (503) 288-3311 Web address: http://nwlaborpress.org Editor & Manager: Michael Gutwig Senior staff reporter: Don McIntosh Office manager: Jill Lukens Printed on recycled paper, using soy-based inks, by members of Teamsters Local 747-M. SUBSCRIPTIONS: Individual subscriptions are $15 a year for union members, $23 a year for all others. Pay by credit card online at nwlaborpress.org/subscribe, or send a check to our mailing address (above) along with your name, address and union affiliation, if any. Group rates of 47 cents an issue per member — $11.28 a year are available for 25 or more subscriptions; call 503-288-3311 for details. CORRECTIONS: See an error? Please let us know at editor@nwlaborpress.org or by phone at 503-288-3311. PERIODICALS POSTAGE PAID AT PORTLAND, OREGON. CHANGE OF ADDRESS: If you move, let us know at nwlaborpress.org/subscriber-services or by mail at our mailing address (above). Be sure to provide your old and new addresses and the name/number of your local union. Please allow three weeks for the change to take effect. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS P.O. BOX 13150 PORTLAND, OR 97213-0150 Low Prices! Coats, etc. Mon-Fri 9-6, Sat 9:30-5:30, Sun 12-6 PLEASE SHOW OUR ADVERTISERS YOU APPRECIATE THEIR SUPPORT FOR THIS LABOR MOVEMENT NEWSPAPER! looked at the unilateral an- nouncement as the company’s way of sidestepping the bargain- ing process and putting the union at a disadvantage. The strike began at 11:30 a.m. Oct. 23 at the 8218 NE Glisan St. location. Striking workers formed a caravan and traveled to three other locations, where workers joined them in walking out: 1135 NE MLK Blvd., 1122 SE Hawthorne Blvd., and 3504 SE 92nd Ave. Workers at a fifth unionized location, 19119 SE McLoughlin Blvd., didn’t take part in the strike. At least ini- tially, dining rooms closed at the struck stores, though managers continued to operate the drive- throughs. Rather than maintain a con- stant picket outside the struck stores, strikers instead assem- bled with supporters for daily actions. On Oct. 23 they pick- eted the Rose Quarter location on opening night of the Portland Trail Blazers basketball season. On Oct. 24 they protested out- side Burgerville corporate head- quarters in Vancouver. On Oct. 25 a roving picket went from store to store. And on Oct. 26 they gathered at the Hawthorne store for a pancake feed with In- dustrial Workers of the World Striking Burgerville worker Betty Buchanan makes minimum wage — $12.50 an hour — after nine months working the drive-through at the NE 82nd and Glisan location. “I’m on strike because it’s not fair that we make minimum wage, when you know how much work we do and how hard we work.” members from all over the Northwest. Burgerville Workers Union is proposing that the starting wage be set at $1 above minimum wage, rising 50 cents above that each year. The union also wants a clear process for workers to get full time hours: Most work- ers are scheduled just under 30 hours a week, which is the com- pany’s threshold for health ben- efits, said union spokesperson Emmett Schlenz. Would paying more than minimum wage put Burgerville out of business? At the bargain- ing table, Burgerville is repre- sented by Kristin Bremer Moore of the Tonkon Torp law firm. She’s been very careful not to say the company can’t afford pay increases, unionists say, be- cause that would trigger an ob- ligation to open the privately held company’s books to prove it. In the Oct. 16 press release announcing the raise, Burg- erville said it secured a loan to make the wage increase possi- ble. Burgerville’s bargaining team has also thrown a legal curve- ball into negotiations, says attor- ney Kate Suisman, who’s been helping the union in negotia- tions: The company claims it can’t pay unionized workers more than workers at non-union stores because of Oregon’s new pay equity law, which was meant to end discriminatory pay disparities. Thus far, the two sides have tentatively agreed to several provisions: an option to bank an anniversary bonus to use as va- cation pay, and a system en- abling workers to donate sick leave to co-workers who face a health emergency. Schlenz said they also seemed close to agree- ing to a policy giving employees more predictable schedules. Burgerville has already im- plemented company-wide one of the union’s key proposals: Tip jars and a tipping option in its point-of-sale systems. Tips are pooled among staff, and so far, they’re adding 75 cents to $1.50 an hour to workers’ pay. The two sides are scheduled to meet again for further negoti- ations on Nov. 5. Burgerville Workers Union is asking the public to boycott all Burgerville locations until the company signs a union contract.
