010118 Smithfield to Appeal Judge's Union Ruling

Raleigh, NC - The owner of the world's largest pork processing plant said it would appeal a labor judge's ruling that unfair management actions tainted two union elections.

A spokesman for Local 204 of the United Food & Commercial Workers Union called the appeal a delaying tactic by Smithfield Foods Inc. and said another union election would be held.

Smithfield illegally fired 11 employees for union activity at its Tar Heel meat packing plant and that a plant manager told employees that voting for a union might result in closing the plant, an administrative law judge ruled Dec. 15.

The judge listed 36 unfair labor acts committed by the plant's managers during union election campaigns in 1994 and 1997. The plant, operating as Carolina Food Processors, opened in 1992.

Smithfield's plant in Tar Heel employs 5,000 people and is billed as the largest pork packing factory in the world.

Smithfield said in a statement that the 11 discharges occurred during a period when the plant's turnover was about 16,000 people. The company said most of the discharges were “the result of attendance-related rule violations.” The turnover occurred because many employees didn't want a long commute, the company said.

Smithfield also said the union assisted the National Labor Relations Board during a trial in 1998 and 1999.

The full NLRB still must review the decision by Judge John West, which could be appealed further in court.

Brian Murphy, president of the local union, said the union is ready to start organizing again.

“It was a clear victory for the union,” he said. “Smithfield management clearly violated the law and the judge saw that. The company's ploy is to take as much time as possible and not do what the judge told them to do.”

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