Burgerville
Hamburger restaurant · Montavilla ·
Burgers, shakes, and apple pie sundaes using local ingredients
Burgers, shakes, and apple pie sundaes using local ingredients
"When an employee at the NE Glisan Burgerville location tested positive, the restaurant closed on July 7 and initially planned to reopen on July 10, giving those who worked with the infected employee on July 2 paid time off to self-quarantine for two weeks; the extra closure was described as time to deep-clean and make testing available. The Burgerville Workers Union said a three-day closure wouldn’t give employees enough time to get tested and, noting the infected worker was asymptomatic, demanded negative COVID-19 test results before staff return or a full two-week self-isolation for anyone who may have been exposed. Workers staged a strike over the reopening timeline until the company agreed to delay reopening to July 13 and have since staged additional one-day strikes; Burgerville issued a statement saying it followed CDC contact-tracing guidance, provided paid voluntary testing and paid employees during the closure, and maintains wellness screenings, distancing, face coverings, and curbside/drive-thru service." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"Workers at the Montavilla Burgerville walked off as part of the coordinated strike after prolonged negotiations with the BVWU; although Burgerville highlights implemented changes like a tipping system and higher holiday pay, the union says those steps fall short on wages and is maintaining the strike to press for stronger concessions." - Tim Forster
"At the Montavilla Burgerville I observed that employees joined a multi-store walkout—part of the first strike since September 2018—to demand higher wages and protest what the union calls bad-faith bargaining, with the company canceling a scheduled bargaining meeting amid the dispute. Like the other affected stores, Montavilla kept drive-thru service for several hours after the morning walkout before shutting down in the evening; the union insists any day the company refuses to bring real proposals can become a strike day, while Burgerville highlights steps such as adding tipping and says it’s gathering feedback and ideas to improve negotiations." - Alex Frane
"I reported that employees at the Montavilla Burgerville location signed a petition requesting voluntary union recognition, and that the Montavilla crew voted to join the Burgerville Workers Union on Wednesday, making it one of five Burgerville locations that have officially unionized; the union returns to the bargaining table April 10." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
"At the Montavilla Burgerville, I saw employees win a 15-to-9 vote to join the company’s growing union, making it part of the country’s first federally recognized fast-food union and giving workers tied to last fall’s button controversy a seat at the bargaining table. Leading up to the election, staff reported “anti-union propaganda everywhere,” citing daily anti-union emails from HR. The location was also the site of earlier conflict when several employees were dismissed for wearing buttons with messages like “Abolish ICE,” prompting months of disputes over the chain’s button policy and free-speech rights; the company briefly rescinded the ban and paid back wages but then reinstated a button ban, which spurred workers to strike." - Brooke Jackson-Glidden
