Workers at Portland’s Grand Central Bakery Production Facility Vote to Unionize

29 workers voted yes and 9 voted no in a National Labor Relations Board election.

(pixabay)
By Elise Herron

On Dec. 12, workers at Grand Central Bakery's Northwest Portland production facility voted to join the Bakers, Confectioners, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 114 union.

29 workers voted yes and 9 voted no in a National Labor Relations Board election.

Grand Central Bakery's 44 Portland bakers filed a petition with the NLRB for an election on Friday, Nov. 22.

Workers say they are organizing over workplace safety, understaffing, wages and sexual harassment issues. Grand Central employs 463 people in Portland and Seattle. The Portland production facility is the only location to unionize.

"We are immensely grateful to our coworkers for standing up for each other and working together to make our workplace more democratic and egalitarian," a baker involved with the unionization effort said in a statement. "Now we're focused on getting a great contract and improving working conditions for everyone."

In a statement, Grand Central Bakery management said: "We are proud that our employees voted on this important issue, and we accept the outcome. We are confident we can work together to address any challenges and concerns."

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