Smithfield Plant Workers Reject Union

[Omaha Steve]

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB124051056760448931.html?mod=googlenews_wsj

* APRIL 23, 2009, 2:37 P.M. ET

Associated Press

Employees at Smithfield Packing Co.'s bacon plant in North Carolina have voted against joining a workers union that last year won a landmark election at the company's largest hog slaughterhouse, company and union officials said Thursday.

Workers voted 338-181 on Wednesday against joining the United Food and Commercial Workers union in an election supervised by the National Labor Relations Board. The company released the results, which were confirmed by a union spokeswoman.

The Wilson, N.C., plant employs more than 600 people.

The vote came four months after employees at the company's massive 4,500-worker hog processing plant in nearby Tar Heel voted to join the union, ending a 16-year dispute between the company and union organizers. Both sides are still negotiating details of an initial labor contract, company spokesman Dennis Pittman said.

A distribution facility in Clayton is the only other Smithfield Packing operation in North Carolina represented by a union. The state has the country's lowest number of unionized workers.

FULL story at link.