The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has weakened under the Trump administration. It was stuck in limbo for nearly all of 2025, with only one board member — it requires at least three to hear cases and should have five. And though union elections reached a 10-year high in 2024, they fell by 30% in 2025, per stats from the New Center for American Progress. Additionally, 42% fewer workers participated in NLRB-overseen union elections from 2024 to 2025. Most devastating is this stat: A new union’s likelihood of winning its election fell to just below 70% in 2025. Americans want unions (their approval ratings are higher than Congress, media, and the current president), but this administration is crafting a bureaucracy that works against them. A report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics found that food service work has one of the lowest unionized rates, making up only 1.8% of the sector in 2025.
That said, the unions that exist aren’t going anywhere, and they’ve been fighting as best they can this summer. Starbucks Workers United has shifted its strategy away from news-facing stories and towards grassroots information. There are a few missives a week in its newsletter about what it has been up to, and posts to social media about ongoing issues (like a manager allegedly telling an employee they need to request a special accommodation while pregnant to go to the bathroom more often, wtf) that highlight why more stores should organize. Most importantly for the people who exist in solidarity with this union, it includes action items for customers, like when they’re planning union actions so you don’t cross the picket line, and updates on newly-unionized locations.
Speaking of empowering workers: Have we mentioned lately that Ravenous is a worker-owned co-op? Our Wednesday newsletter goes to everyone on the mailing list, including those of you who haven't subscribed yet. Consider this your invitation to grab a year-long subscription. I'm including a 15% discount since you read this. Caw! 🐦⬛
Cooks and cashiers at Carl’s Jr. across locations owned by Friendly Franchisees, which has 65 locations in Los Angeles and is one of the largest operators of the chain in the world, held a call-out strike on Friday, July 17. As part of the California Fast Food Workers Union, the workers “filed a letter in U.S. Bankruptcy Court alleging Friendly Franchisees… has abused the bankruptcy process to avoid accountability for paying workers or maintaining safe, healthy stores,” according to a press release. Workers held a rally that midday to talk about the abuse and harassment they’ve faced, following the lack of action on over a dozen complaints filed against the franchisee. Those include denial of sick leave, violation of meal break laws, being forced to work off the clock, and retaliation against employees who speak up about these issues. They asked that citizens of L.A. bring the issue to their council members and urge them to pass the Fast Food Fair Work Ordinance, which was introduced in 2024 and has been, not shockingly, strongly opposed by businesses.
SoFi Stadium workers in Inglewood, California, authorized a strike one week ahead of the venue’s first World Cup game. They demanded higher wages, job security, and protections against subcontracting, as well as assurances that ICE and Border Patrol would not have a role in the games because workers were afraid of being detained and ultimately deported while in their workplace. The end result was a historic agreement with Legends Hospitality, which runs hospitality at SoFi, for everything they requested and codifying that workers could strike if those government agencies threatened worker safety during the World Cup.
And it goes beyond the summer. This past winter, bars in Omaha ran dry when drivers at Premier Midwest Beer and Beverage went on a two-week strike to demand a better contract. United Food and Commercial Workers Local 7 in Greeley, Colorado, ratified a two-year contract with JSB Foods after a three-week work stoppage at the meat processing plant that includes a 33 percent salary increase. After organizing as United Creatures of the Sea, workers at Seattle’s acclaimed restaurant The Walrus and the Carpenter and General Porpoise doughnut shop shut them down for eight days to demand changes to the tip structure and ratify their union contract (shout out to our former Eater colleague Harry Cheadle, who reported it for The Stranger). And, of course, there are the ongoing actions of the Attaboy Union, reported on by Jaya Saxena for Ravenous, which is still waiting for management to come to the table and bargain in good faith.
Unions are helping to get the hard work done. If you’re on the outside, be sure not to cross picket lines, and speak up on behalf of unions — that can be on social media, in emails to companies and businesses, and support unionized food businesses (unless the union is asking you to boycott in solidarity). Happy hot union summer, comrades!
New On Ravenous
I will not succumb to hot diarrhea summer. Unions or bust. But read Amy's story anyway, because she feels the same way you do about it: Annoyed af.
Amy McCarthy
I haven't been able to bring myself to watch the last season of The Bear yet. Amy and Ashok, who both had to watch and cover it from launch until now, are doing the heavy lifting for us all. Ashok weighs in on the Chicago of it all.
Ashok Selvam
Bird Droppings 🐦⬛
• Civil Eats looks back at a year of SNAP cuts and the pressure it is putting on the most vulnerable among us (remember the vast majority of food assistance recipients are children, and most of those under 12 and in the foster care system, and the elderly). Yell at your reps to reinstate SNAP benefits, especially if you’ve got folks running for Senate or House seats.
• Speaking of worker actions, six workers won their lawsuit against the Duplex in Chicago, after alleging widespread wage theft, sexual harassment, and retaliation.
• If you, like me, are Odyssey-obsessed, Tasting Table has an in-depth breakdown of what ancient Greeks were actually eating during the Bronze Age. It’s not meat; that’s just some shit Homer threw in there! Because this is a made-up story no matter what weird right-wing culture vultures say!
