Portillo's workers rally to demand a union contract

Workers Demand Company End Stall Tactics, Negotiate First Contract Immediately

CHICAGO, Sept. 12, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scores of unionizing Portillo's workers, community leaders, and labor allies participated in a "Caravan of Justice" on Saturday, ending at the Portillo's restaurant on West Addison. Workers and supporters rallied to demand Portillo's stop stalling and begin negotiations immediately.

Brenda Bedolla, Organizer with the Iron Workers Union said, "It has been nearly 5 months since the workers standing beside me won their union, yet Portillo's management keeps on throwing their money away by paying hefty legal bills instead of investing those thousands of dollars in their workers."

"Portillo's CEO said earlier this month in an interview that he aspires for Portillo's to be a national brand, but do you want that national brand to have the track record of being a union buster?" continued Bedolla.

"Portillo's has time and time again told us that they are acting in our own best interest and that we should trust them when they say that they challenged our election results because they care about us," said Portillo's worker Jamie Figueroa. "The only one that Portillo's is looking out for is themselves... and their pockets. We are sick of their greediness and are here to send Portillo's a strong message that while they may want to ostracize us within the walls of our factory, we are not alone in our fight- we have our community behind us and we will continue to fight until we win," he continued.

Background: On April 13, 2023, Portillo's food production workers in Addison, IL overwhelmingly voted for representation by Iron Workers Local 853. Portillo's continuously stated both before and after the vote count that they would respect the workers' decision to unionize and would bargain in good faith. However, instead of honoring the workers' vote, Portillo's has utilized stall tactics, including filing baseless election objections. Workers are demanding Portillo's drop their frivolous election objections and negotiate.    

SOURCE Iron Workers Union

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