In a fourth attempt to decertify the United Autoworkers (UAW) union, workers at NTN-Bower Corporation in Alabama voted to rid themselves of the UAW Friday.
Although the official tally has yet to be released, sources tell The Daily Caller News Foundation that workers voted 82 to 50 to decertify the United Autoworkers. Previous decertification elections were deemed invalid, resulting in workers having to hold a fourth round.
In the last election, though the UAW won the vote, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation (NRTW) alleged that the union manipulated the ballot in its favor. After an official complaint, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) agreed to allow a fourth vote.
NRTW is helping to represent Ginger Estes, the employee who filed for the decertification election.
“Even though 139 workers voted in the third election out of the 140 eligible, 148 ballots were cast,” the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation claimed in a statement.
Prior to that, the NLRB found the second election invalid because they claim the company was acting unfairly toward the union. As they noted, “two days before the second election, Plant Manager Rufus McMillan held a series of captive audience meetings, which were attended by the entire workforce.”
“The credited testimony of multiple witnesses establishes that during these meetings, McMillan repeatedly told employees that Hamilton was the Employer’s only unionized facility, that employees at the plant had not received a raise in over a year, and that employees at the Macomb, Illinois facility made more money than they did,” the NLRB also noted. “The hearing officer found that McMillan’s comments constituted an implied promise of higher pay if employees decertified the Union.”
After the third election, Estes began leading some of her colleagues in rallies against the union. She argued that the workers wanted the union to leave.
The UAW has represented employees at the NTN-Bower plant since 1976. The decertification petition was filed with the NLRB on May 22, 2013.
The UAW had not returned DCNF requests for comment at the time of this article’s publishing.
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