They don't want at-will employment?? Sorry, but that's how it is for nearly all Oregon workers who aren't unionized. Not sure that fast food workers would succeed in something that even skilled workers & trades don't have. If they want better job security & pay, I'm sorry but that's something you work toward during the course of your career. But most of us remain at-will employees wherever we work, and have the right to work elsewhere, too.

Can you please post the Company's entire response so we can have all the facts to properly make heads or tails of this situation?

I hate what these groups are doing to our once great city. Was with my family one day recently when they were out picketing and singing songs about solidarity. At first I thought they were a bunch of Antifa members all dressed in black. Frankly made me a little scared for our safety. My little daughter asked me what they were doing yelling and waving flags? We didn't stick around long enough to find out. Here's a thought children, work hard and earn what you deserve rather than threatening and destroying local businesses causing the rest of us to have to pay more! God help our community if these people are representative of the next generation. From now on, we are sticking to the burbs.

Wait hold on...they demanded a union and a vote. The company then gives them exactly what they asked for...but now they don't want it? You can't make this stuff up. I thought the first article you wrote about fast food workers demanding a union was satire. Little did I know the comedy gold that would continue to come from all of this!

Wait, what? The union is the people but the union does not want the people to vote unless it is people the union knows? What? So the company calls for an election and the union does not bother to go and organize and instead is worried about stopping a vote? The company called for an election and instead of the union doing their job and getting out there to get votes they want to stop the vote? What kind of union is this? Who cares if it is rare or common, the people are going to be allowed to vote in a secret ballot election.... But wait, union officials may actually have to work a little harder..... Why is this even in the news as it makes real unions look terrible.

tt really bugs me when a reporter doesn't take the time to learn the basics of what they are writing about.  This burger company couldn't have "forced negotiations to a standstill" because under federal law it isn't allowed to "negotiate" with an alleged union until that union is duly elected by a majority of the employees in a free and fair election certified by the federal NLRB.  This article reflects willful ignorance of the basic facts underlying its premise

Love it...this article has been edited to accommodate the unions perspective. Only in Oregon! New title and all. Good job Blair. There goes your Pulitzer!

Lots of astro turfers and the usual band of idiots. Little big big burger must be afraid. No real portlander is anti-union and no real portlander thinks service work is less than.

“We are writing to encourage you to use the secret ballot in all union recognition elections…We understand the secret ballot is allowed for but not required by Mexican labor law. However we feel that the secret ballot is absolutely necessary in order to ensure that workers are not intimidated into voting for a union they might not otherwise choose.” - 2001 letter to Mexican President Fox by Bernie Sanders, Kucinich, Narney Frank and 12 other luminaries of the left. Because petitions instead of secret ballots are intimidation mechanisms in other countries, but okey dokey in the US where their donors live.

We need Union jobs. You overpaid unaware how hard it is suburb living elites want to eat ice cream and cookies but don't want those serving you to have a chance of a middle class life. Service workers are the factory workers of the 50s to 80s, who had Union jobs and could afford to enjoy, ENJOY, life. Simple vacations, cars, able to save money, good health Care. All the benefits of my dad's Union job as a beer truck driver. He raised 7 kids, paid for private grade school all because of a union job. More in unions Less profit for share holders. Company has no business calling for a vote.

You or some other local media said in an early article that the average associate at LBB makes $17 an hour including tips. If true, then the company should have no problem replacing any of them. I think I'm going to apply for a job!