Burgerville has reached a collective bargaining agreement with a union that represents the workers at five of its 39 restaurants, all in the Portland, Ore., area, the quick service chain based in Vancouver, Wash., said Monday.
According to the deal with Burgerville Workers Union, all hourly employees will receive wages that are at least 25 cents higher than the minimum wage required by Oregon or Washington, the two states where the chain operates, until starting wages hit $15.
The current starting wage across Burgerville is $14.25 per hour, and the chain said it would go up to $14.75 on Jan. 1, 2022, and $15 soon after.
Oregon has a minimum wage of $12.75, except for the Portland area, where it’s $14, and Washington’s minimum wage is $13.69.
The agreement also requires tipping be allowed at all locations, which Burgerville initiated in 2019, resulting in an average hourly increase of $2 to hourly employees’ incomes.
The agreement also requires expanded sick leave, vacation benefits and paid parental leave.
Burgerville CEO Jill Taylor said she in a statement announcing the agreement that she was pleased to approve the union contract, which expires on May 1 of 2023, and that she and her team “look forward to working with all Burgerville employees to be the best restaurant company to work for in the Pacific Northwest.”
She added that the company has always invested in employees’ wellbeing and began offering health insurance in 2006.
The chain, which turns 60 next year, has long been known for sourcing local ingredients, including buns and beef, as well as ingredients such as blackberries for its seasonal milkshakes.
The agreement, which had been in negotiation since 2018, comes just weeks after a Starbucks restaurant in Buffalo, N.Y., voted to unionize, the first in that chain’s system to do so after Starbucks fought off attempts at unionizing at locations in New York City and Philadelphia.
Talk of unionizing at chain restaurants has gained steam during the pandemic, as the extreme shortage of employees has given workers better bargaining positions, however just as workers at the Buffalo Starbucks location voted to unionize, workers at two other locations in the area voted against unionization.
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