Pizza chain Via 313 filed objections on March 25 to a March 18 union vote at its North Campus location, according to a press release from Restaurant Workers United. 

Via 313 said in the objection that the union vote petitioner threatened other employees leading up to the election and created a hostile work environment for those perceived as unsupportive of unionization. Elyanna Calle, Restaurant Workers United president and communications junior, said in an email that Via 313 and Savory, its private equity firm, are looking for a reason to delay the union from getting certified. 

“We won the election fairly, all while working against the company’s endless union-busting campaign,” Calle said. 

However, Via 313 spokesperson Briana Stewart said in an email that the chain is not opposing the attempt to unionize, but the behavior leading up to the vote itself. 

The restaurant can join Restaurant Workers United when the National Labor Relations Board certifies the 22–16 vote to unionize, according to the press release and the board website. 

The recent election took place at two additional Via 313 locations, East 6th Street and Oak Hill, but neither of the other locations voted to unionize, according to the press release. Via 313 filed no objections to these elections, and the National Labor Relations Board certified those locations’ results on March 25 and 26. 

The restaurant’s employees first announced their intent to unionize in August 2022 following worker protests for sick pay and improved COVID-19 safety, The Daily Texan previously reported. The restaurant held union votes in October 2022, but the National Labor Relations Board did not certify the results because of challenged ballots and unresolved unfair labor charges, according to the union press release.

The election followed a settlement between the board, Via 313 and the union to resolve charges filed in 2022 against Via 313 for “unlawfully” firing or disciplining five workers, as well as charges against the union for violating election rules in the 2022 vote, Stewart said. Via 313 does not “admit it engaged in any improper conduct,” she said.

Maya Gauthier, a Via 313 employee who worked in the North Campus restaurant during both elections, said the union’s goals are incomplete until Via 313 goes to the “bargaining table” with the union. The workers want livable wages, better benefits and safer work conditions in the kitchen, which sometimes reaches high temperatures and carbon dioxide levels, Gauthier said. 

“The bigger-picture goal is just to show solidarity with the working class all over the world,” Gauthier said. “We want dignity. … We should receive a proper amount of money for (our work), because we make the kitchen run — the company doesn’t.”