When the union came to start organizing here at Burgerville, we took a step back and said nothing, and we took a lot of negative projections that were untrue. We remained silent so that our employees would have a choice to say what kind of relationship they wanted with the company and who they wanted to represent them.
We’ve seen accurate information, as well as some things that merit correcting.
We haven’t disciplined or fired anyone because of union activity or support:
We have disciplined and fired people for stealing, being habitually late and violating company policies. Out of respect for our guests and team members, we don’t allow certain behaviors in our stores. Sometimes employees have disagreed with those decisions and filed Unfair Labor Practices complaints with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB); this is common during an organizing campaign. The NLRB has investigated these claims and supported our position. There have been no findings as of today, by the NLRB that any employee has been terminated unlawfully because of union organizing.
We haven’t hired people to intimidate our employees:
We absolutely support individuals’—including our employees’—right to peaceful, lawful protest. The First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution protects the right of the people to peaceably assemble.
The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), Portland Chapter, d/b/a Burgerville Workers Union (BVWU), has staged a number of protests outside our stores. Some were peaceful. Regretfully, some protests were not, and they created safety concerns for employees, guests and the public. Whenever there has been a protest, we have assessed the safety and security of the community, employees, protesters and guests. If there has been a need, we have sought out additional security.
Burgerville has not requested armed security at past protests; however, in 2017, a security company, in its assessment and to protect its own employees, chose to send armed guards to a protest. In some cases, we have had to call Portland Police to respond to protests to ensure the safety of all people involved.
We haven’t tried to prevent the formation of a union:
When IWW/BVWU first began campaigning two years ago, we chose to put our employees first and respect their legally protected right to organize.
We wanted everyone to have a voice and a vote, so we followed the rules, abided by federal law and waited. We waited to recognize the union until we knew that a majority of the employees at that location—not just a vocal minority—wanted a union. Once that time came, we waived an NLRB hearing and supported timely voting.
After two years of campaigning, the Burgerville Workers Union recently won elections at two of our locations to become the first fast-food union in the country.
We’re now doing something brand-new to us. We’ve never worked with a union before, and we are scheduling conversations. This is a big milestone in the 57-year history of Burgerville, and we are guided by our mission to “Serve With Love.”
We’ll come to the bargaining table with open minds and hearts, as well as shared values of mutual respect and acceptance.
We will look for opportunities to listen to and understand the union’s perspective.
With the needs of our employees, guests, suppliers and the community at heart, we’re committed to maintaining a healthy business that continues to employ 1,500 people, supports local food from 989 Northwest family farms and ranches, and invests in our Pacific Northwest communities well into the future.
Yours with love,
Burgerville