Illinois Employees At Portillo's Food Service In Addison Go On Strike Citing Poor Working Conditions And Low Wages

Employees of Portillo's Food Service in Illinois decided to go on strike on Monday after the management at the company failed to negotiate arbitration differences in which employees claimed poor working conditions, low wages and unsafe work environment at the Addison facility.

By H. Nelson Goodson 

Hispanic News Network U.S.A.

June 30, 2021

Addison, Illinois - On Monday, the employees at Portillo's Food Service, 380 S. Rohlwing Rd. in Addison went on strike (huelga) after the management at the company failed to negotiate a settlement, which employees alleged poor working environment conditions, low wages and unsafe working conditions at the facility.

The striking employees at the facility claimed that they were forced to do the work of three employees, which the striking employees are asking the Portillo's Food Service to hire more employees to off-set the work load and that the management only offered a 35 cent raise to do the job load of three people.

Jorge Mújica Murias, an organizer from Arise Chicago along with multiple Portillo's employees hand delivered a letter on Tuesday to the management, which the person who received it, who then placed it on the entrance walkway and proceeded to lock the company entrance door.

Mújica Murias than advised the striking employees that the Portillo's Food Service management had officially received the employees strike notice and demands to be negotiated in order to return to work. Most of the striking employees at Portillo's are Latino.

Mike Aponte, the Director of Human Resources Commerce Associate on June 28, threatened to replace any employee who did not return to work on June 29 and says that the management was willing to work in resolving the strike issue individually with any employee. The employees remained on strike as off Wednesday.  

Mújica Murias says that what Aponte was proposing violates federal laws concerning a united strike, which an employer has to negotiate with the united employees that are on strike.

Portillo's Food Service, LLC generated revenue, which includes Portillo's Holdings, LLC and Portillo's Hot Dogs, LLC in the last 12 months ending period March 31, 2021, showed a $465M revenue growth, but only offered a 35 cent hourly wage increase for its employees at the food service facility, according to documents released by the striking employees in Addison (see attached image documents in article, click to enlarge).