On April 13, 2023, Portillo's food production warehouse workers in Addison, IL overwhelmingly voted for representation by Iron Workers Local 853. Portillo's continuously stated both before and after the vote count that they would respect the workers' decision to unionize and would bargain in good faith. However, instead of honoring the workers' vote, Portillo's has utilized stall tactics, including filing a baseless election objection.

On July 19, 2023, the National Labor Relations Board found no merit in Portillo's election objections. This ruling marked a significant step forward in the workers' unionization process.  However, just under the August 2, 2023, deadline, Portillo's management has filed an appeal to the July 19th ruling against them further delaying the NLRB's official certification of the election results. On December 18, 2023 the National Labor Relations Board again ruled against Portillo's election appeals.

Workers demand the company accept this loss and adhere to its original promises to respect the workers' decision and negotiate.