Buona Restaurants, Union Squash Beef, Resolve Dispute That Led To Battery Charges

BERWYN, IL — The two-week labor dispute between a union and local chain Buona Beef has concluded with an agreement for the company to use union workers and contractors in future construction projects, according to a joint statement Friday from the company and the Chicago Building and Construction Trades Council. The conflict led to a video-recorded Aug. 15 confrontation between two partners in the company and union members that resulted in battery charges for two members of the Buonavolanto family, which owns the Berwyn-based Italian beef chain.

"Members of our family did not uphold our values when responding to a union demonstration that disrupted our business," a family spokesperson said in an apology for the incident.

The disagreement with unions was related to Buona Beef's alleged use of non-union, low-wage construction workers to build new locations as the chain expands throughout the area. The joint statement describes it as a "misunderstanding between the union and Buona, its developers and general contractors".

"We respect union workers and union families, and this agreement signals the continuation of our labor-friendly practices. It promises to be a mutually beneficial partnership," said Buona Beef CEO Joe Buonavolanto Jr.

The company and the unions have agreed a project labor agreement for future hiring, according to union officials. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news for your Chicagoland community. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

"Now that this is settled, we encourage all union members and supporters to recognize Buona as a labor-friendly business that is an asset to Chicagoland," said Ralph Affrunti, president of the Chicago Building and Construction Trades Council, which represents 24 affiliated union construction trade organizations. "We are pleased to be working with this family-owned business to ensure that highly-skilled tradesmen and women have the opportunity to work on these projects."

Other unions had also been participating in a boycott of Buona in response to the dispute. Local leaders, such as International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134 Business Manager Don Finn, praised the new deal.

"I would like to thank all of membership that stood with us in our boycott against Buona Beef," he wrote in a social media post. "I would like to thank all of the Chicago Building Trades organizations for sticking with us and acting in a professional manner during this boycott."

Related:

• Buona Beef Bosses Battered Berwyn Protesters, Police Say
• Berwyn Refuses To Release Booking Photos Of Arrested Buona Beef Bosses
  
• Berwyn Police Apologize, Release Buona Beef Mugshots, Arrest Reports

_{Top photo: Joseph and James Buonavolanto (Berwyn PD)}