GEO Stands in Solidarity with the Burgerville Workers' Union

The Graduate Employees’ Organization (GEO) of UIUC, IFT/AFT Local 6300, are in solidarity with the Burgerville Workers’ Union, who are out on strike after management has refused to settle a fair contract in over a year and a half of bargaining. 

BVWU, after a historic multi-year organizing campaign, became the first-ever federally recognized fast-food workers union in the country in 2018. Since then, BVWU has expanded to five different Burgerville locations in the Portland area, despite the hostile atmosphere created by management, who have repeatedly engaged in union-busting tactics.  

Fast food workers remain some of the most exploited workers in the country, which makes BVWU’s union organizing all the more urgent. Other fast-food chains like McDonald’s and Yum! Brands--which owns KFC, Taco Bell, and Pizza Hut--are some of the largest private sector employers in America, and much of the job growth in the country is in these low-wage sectors. Since these billion dollar companies continue to give their workers low pay, no benefits, and unstable hours, the workers are taking it upon themselves to hold their employers to account. The BVWU is at the forefront of this struggle. We support their fight for a living wage and demand Burgerville management come to the bargaining table with a fair contract. From the service industry to the halls of higher education, all labor has dignity. Solidarity forever!

The Graduate Employees’ Organization, AFT/IFT Local 6300, AFL-CIO, at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, represents approximately 2,700 Teaching and Graduate Assistants on the UIUC Campus. In November 2009 and in February 2018, over 1,000 GEO members and allies participated in a strike to secure a fair contract and more accessible UIUC campus. With an active presence in the community, the GEO continues to work for high-quality and accessible public education in Illinois.

For more information, please contact geo@uigeo.org. More information can also be found on GEO’s website at www.uiucgeo.org.

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