Quirky Labor Union 'The Wobblies' Pushes at the Towering Quick-Service Industry's Labor Organizing Practices

The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), better known by the quirky moniker “the Wobblies,” is stepping up its ongoing efforts to unionize the quick-service restaurant industry, according to an article in Restaurant Business.

“The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), known as the Wobblies, is also pushing to organize more units of the first chain where it found recruitment success, the 45-unit Burgerville system,” the article said.

The Burgersville Workers Union is an IWW affiliate and the only “federally recognized quick-service union in the country,” the article said. According to the article, “The IWW has won a go-ahead from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to allow the employees of two more stores to vote on whether to be represented” by the Burgerville Workers Union in “wage negotiations.”

Bolstered by the success of the Burgersville Workers Union, another hopeful IWW affiliate, Little Big Union has emerged, according to the article. The union is named for the members’ franchisor, Little Big Burger, a “a 23-unit fast-casual chain owned by multiconcept operator Chanticleer Holdings,” said the article.

“Little Big Union is already demanding a $5-an-hour raise for all employees, as well as scheduling and paid-leave concessions,” the article said. Little Big Burger has neither endorsed nor decried the formation of LBU.

In an age fraught with franchisor-franchisee tensions, the rise of labor unions is a potential industry trend to look out for.