Gavin McGarrigle was a university student working as a server at a Cheesecake Cafe in Victoria when he heard about workers at a McDonald's in Squamish, B.C., forming a union.

"It was thrilling," said McGarrigle, now the director of the B.C. chapter of Canada's largest union, Unifor.

It was August 1998 and the franchise was the first in North America to unionize. Two teenage employees, Tessa Lowinger and Jennifer Wiebe, drove the effort.

McGarrigle says the news inspired him and his fellow Cheesecake staffers to organize their own workplace.

But just a few months later, 20 years ago this week, workers at that same McDonald's franchise voted to dump the union before they had even established a collective agreement.

In July 1999 workers at a McDonald's in Squamish, B.C., voted to disband a new union. 2:04

According to CBC News reports at the time, the employer objected to raising salaries to $7.25 an hour from $7.15. And of the 85 employees, less than half had been around for the original vote.

McGarrigle and others say that attempt at unionization still resonates today as restaurant and fast-food workers continue to experience conditions that make collective agreements difficult.

In the past few years, fast-food workers across North America have fought for fair wages and better working conditions. McGarrigle says younger workers, part-time hours and a high turnover rate make it hard for them to organize.

Franchises and restaurants, meanwhile, argue that unionization is antithetical to their work environments.

Ian Tostenson, president of the B.C. Restaurant and Food Association, says the fluid needs of food establishments make collective agreements hard for them to follow.

"A union environment ... tends to be a lot more structured, a lot less flexible — which is really not like what the restaurant industry is, in that it thrives on creativity and maximum flexibility at all times," Tostenson said.

Curbing spontaneity

When the Squamish franchise voted to unionize 21 years ago, it drew attention from around the world.

Tostenson worked at a winery at the time, supplying restaurants. His workplace was unionized — Tostenson says steady workflow made that possible.

He doesn't think that's the case at most of restaurants and franchises then or today because of the unpredictable nature of their business.

"You're supposed to be all about customer service," he said.

And because of the tight profit margins that most restaurants operate on, Tostenson says it's difficult for them to match the higher wages that collective agreements often demand.

However, Tostenson says the current labour shortage in B.C. is making conditions and wages much more favourable for restaurant workers.

Flawed business model

But Unifor's McGarrigle says the argument for lower wages at restaurants is problematic.

"If your business model is predicated on keeping workers in poverty so that you can make some money, I would say the business model itself is flawed," he said.

"I just don't buy the argument that if you give workers a voice and they get a chance and negotiate some decent conditions that suddenly you can't survive."

It was 1998 and McDonald's workers in Squamish, B.C., voted to unionize. 1:59

Collective agreements also outline working conditions like scheduling and safety standards that all workers deserve, McGarrigle says — not just those who work in factories.

McGarrigle says many franchise and restaurant workers today have seen their working conditions erode over time. But he doesn't think that should keep them from fighting for their rights.

"We lost that battle but we're still fighting the war," he said.