The Milwaukee Business Journal reportsthat employees working for Palermo’s Pizza in Milwaukee, WI withdrew their election petition in late July of this year. A union election had been scheduled for August 14, but the employees filed withdrawal paperwork with the National Labor Relations Board several weeks before the election date.
The union campaign had been backed by Voceds De La Frontera, an immigrants rights group, and the United Food and Commercial Workers. However, the campaign was derailed when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) audited the employee’s immigration statuses.
The president of Palermo’s issued a short statement after the petition was withdrawn:
“Palermo’s is a strong, family-owned company that succeeds because of its values, its integrity and its commitment to hard work. Our company will continue to focus on the efforts that help us deliver a great pizza experience coast-to-coast. This means we will continue to engage and respect all of our employees, provide a quality work environment and offer a good, family-sustaining job with great benefits. It also means we will continue to be a leader in demonstrating our corporate commitment to Milwaukee and the surrounding area.”
Neither spokespeople for Voces De La Frontera or the UFCW would comment on whether the union effort would continue. We will keep you posted with any updates.
