Restaurant Workers in Kentucky Join Local 227

Workers at two restaurants in Louisville, Ky., recently joined UFCW Local 227 for a better life.

Over 20 workers at Feast BBQ and over 15 workers at Royals Hot Chicken voted to join UFCW Local 227 on Dec. 21 and Jan. 11. The workers, who are employed as front and back of house service crew, dishwashers, cooks, and shift leaders, voted to join UFCW Local 227 because they were concerned about insufficient wages and scheduling, and treatment by management.

Feast BBQ and Royals Hot Chicken are owned by the same restaurant group and many of the workers know each other. The campaign to organize these workers included holding meetings with workers from both restaurants and having a shared discord channel. The local also relied heavily on the Prompt texting platform to inoculate workers against the restaurant group’s anti-union campaign and keep them informed about the process of unionizing.

“We are excited to welcome workers from Feast BBQ and Royals Hot Chicken to the labor movement,” said UFCW Local 227 President Bob Blair. “Despite stall tactics from their employer, these workers stood together and won their union. Together, we will negotiate a great union contract that will help to raise restaurant industry standards for workers in our city.”