Portland: Workers fight Sizzle Pie’s union-busting tactics

On December 21, following months of struggle and firings of pro-union employees, a group of workers picketed one of the Sizzle Pie locations in Portland. Supporters held signs in front of the restaurant and handed out a statement explaining the situation to customers. 

Some potential customers were deterred from entering and patronizing as they appeared shocked and even disgusted by the company’s tactics. Several passersby shouted support and jeered Sizzle Pie for its anti-worker policies.

After asking for basic protections, including regular work hours for decent pay, Sizzle Pie employees have been met with legal threats against them for attempting to form a union. Further, Sizzle Pie’s response has put further financial burdens on the company as employees report unpaid invoices and work stoppages while the bosses hire lawyers to punish workers instead of meeting basic and reasonable demands.

Speakers, including workers who were retaliated against by their employers, talked about the humiliation they experienced after employers attempted to force them to write demeaning apology letters for apparent “violations” of company policy. 

When the workers refused, they were fired along with another worker who called for the policies to be abolished the next day. They have suffered financially in an already bleak U.S. economy that puts all workers in peril as the costs of living continue to increase as wages stagnate.

Finally, the workers have won a chance to vote to unionize on Jan. 9, following a National Labor Relations Board decision in their favor. Those in favor of unionizing face continued attacks by employers. In their statement, they explain that Sizzle Pie will likely make further retaliatory firings for supposed policy violations leading up to the vote in an attempt to dilute the pro-union vote.