With Starbucks making headlines lately for its pushback against some Buffalo, N.Y. stores attempting to unionize, unions have become a topic of debate — rare as they are within the restaurant industry. Vancouver, Washington-based 40-unit burger chain, Burgerville, is about to become one of the nation’s first quick-service restaurant chains to negotiate a union contract.
Burgerville and the Burgerville Workers Union – which represents five of Burgerville’s locations, all in the Portland area — have been working on negotiating a contract since 2018. The agreed-upon contract covers wage increases for all hourly union workers until it reaches $15 an hour and tipping in all restaurants (both of which underway starting in 2019) and expanded sick leave, parental leave and vacation time. The contract is expected to undergo ratification by union members (and approval by Burgerville leaders) before it goes into effect, likely by the end of 2021.
Starbucks for ‘campaign of intimidation’ ahead of union vote
Burgerville’s current minimum wage is $14.25 per hour and it will be going up to $14.75 per hour by Jan. 1, with plans to increase to $15 per hour soon after that.
“Even prior to the union forming, minimum wage is higher here in the Pacific Northwest anyway,” Hillary Barbour, director of strategic imitative at Burgerville told Nation’s Restaurant News. “[…] As part of the negotiations, we were able to accelerate the minimum wage increases that we're keeping ahead of. I think that...
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