PORTLAND, Ore. — On Oct. 26, Food Chain Workers Alliance held a rally and march at Chapman Square. The event comes as a collaboration between New Seasons Labor Union, Fried Egg I’m in Love Workers Union, Burgerville Workers Union and the Coalition of Independent Unions.
FCWA is a national organization, representing 35 different unions across the country. The alliance’s presence in Portland comes with their annual summit, where food workers can learn how to better organize their unions, discuss strategies and create a network with unionized businesses in their area.
Director of Fundraising & Communications for FCWA, Elizabeth Walle explained that the organization’s aim is to represent the country’s workers. Walle feels that despite the push for healthier and more sustainable food habits being pushed, the laborers making those habits possible are often neglected.
“So our founding mission was [to] bring that discussion into the food conversation,” Walle said. “And also empower workers to organize, for better conditions and wages and stuff.”
Walle also added that FCWA aids workers with mini grants and funding, hoping to help any first-time unionizing leaders in their journey. Walle explained that the past 5 years as an FCWA employee has taught her that the only way forward is a “class revolution.”
“The only hope for us is, like class revolution, and uniting as laborers in order to take back our powers,” Walle said. “I feel like constantly when we’re talking about all the ills of society, I’m just like, well, if we organize all of us into the most strong labor movement, we can fix this.”
Caroline Boschetto, a recent member of Familia Unidas por la Justicia, echoed similar sentiments to Walle.
“The biggest thing I’ve learned so far is that people have a lot more power than they’ve realized,” Boschetto said. “And that there is power in numbers, if people wake up [to] that power.”
Some of the local unions present have been facing issues on their own, with NSLU fighting for a union contract for over three years and calling for a strike this December. Fried Egg WU has also faced adversity, claiming unfair business practices and lack of cooperation from the store owner.
Mike Medina, an organizer with the Coalition of Independent Unions, shared that Fried Egg WU had gone on strike at all locations while the rally was taking place. Medina had previously been part of the United Farm Workers union and was one of the founding members of Burgerville’s worker union. Medina has been an organizer for the better part of a decade, and now focuses on connecting communities that share similar struggles.
“I think that part of what we wanted to do today, and what we want to do in the future, is figure out ways that we can link our struggles and fight together,” Medina said.
