July 24, 2005

Koch’s Foods Workers to Hold Election to Gain a Voice on the Job

Seven hundred and fifty workers at two Koch’s Foods poultry processing units in Morristown,   Tennessee have filed a petition for a union election to be conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).  Workers at the Morristown plant approached the United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW) Local 1995, seeking a voice on the job.  Workers have been organizing at the plant for the past month. A majority of workers at the two units have signed UFCW union authorization cards.

“UFCW currently represents Koch’s Foods workers at two plants in Mississippi,” said George J. Saleeby, International Vice President and Director of UFCW Region 3. “Koch’s workers in the Morton and Forest plants are able to bargain collectively for wages, benefits, and working conditions.  The workers in Morristown came to us because they also want a voice on the job.””

The U.S. government requires workers and the union of their choice to have at least 30% of their co-workers sign union authorization cards in order to file for a NLRB election. During an election, eligible workers at the location vote for or against the petitioning union. When a union is voted in by 50% plus one person, both the company and union sit down to negotiate a mutually beneficial contract for the workers and to improve workplace conditions.