Smithfield loses its appeal (threatening QSI employees with arrest by federal immigration authoritie

[Omaha Steve]

I don't know how I missed this before.

http://www.bladenjournal.com/articles/2008/03/06/news/doc47d053fe45c72138354728.txt

Cleaning service must rehire workers
Published:
Thursday, March 6, 2008 2:49 PM CST
Erin Smith, Staff Writer

Smithfield has recently learned the outcome to its appeal in the ruling by the National Labor Relations Board which found Smithfield Packing Company located in Tar Heel violated Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor Relations Act by: “assaulting QSI employees, threatening QSI employees with arrest by federal immigration authorities, by causing QSI employees to be falsely arrested and by telling a Smithfield employee he wouldn’t be considered for a promotion or job change because of union related activities.”

QSI is a company headquartered in Nevada with a local office in Lumberton that provides cleaning services to Smithfield.

As a result of the latest ruling, Smithfield was ordered to post a notice in “a conspicuous place” in both English and Spanish. The notice guarantees workers will not be threatened, physically assaulted, or denied job changes or promotions and the employees will be allowed to “form, join, or assist a union.”

The original ruling by the NLRB in the QSI/Smithfield case was handed down in November 2007. Smithfield appealed the NLRB’s original findings to the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals. The court held there was no evidence which exists to support claims by the United Food and Commercial Workers Union regarding Smithfield and its secuirty force engaging in any misconduct.

As a result of the ruling, QSI was also ordered to post a notice in its workplace and to restore 14 fired workers.

In a statement from Smithfield Director of Corporate Communications Dennis Pittman, Smithfield claims the United Food and Commercial Workers Union is conducting a “smear campaign” against Smithfield Foods and is “blocking a secret-ballot election at the Tar Heel plant.”

FULL story at link.