Judge Oregon Company Broke Law in Firing Workers

Altogether, Local 296 accused BrucePac of firing 17 union supporters and attempting to mask the firings in a 42-worker mass layoff.

Agents of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB)  deemed there wasn’t enough evidence to pursue charges in 13 of the firings, but issued a complaint in four, and held a trial in front of administrative law judge Lana Parke. It’s against federal law for a company to fire a worker for union activity.

At BrucePac, firings took place at both Oregon plants, on every shift, in every department — operations, sanitation, maintenance, quality assurance, accounting.

In a workplace of approximately 350, the employer laid off 42 workers  — one month after a union campaign began.

Local 296 came out against the firings, placed pickets outside BrucePac, and filed 18 charges with the NLRB.

BrucePac informed NLRB agents it didn’t know the terminated workers were union supporters, so it couldn’t have fired them for being union supporters.

In her written decision, Parke ordered BrucePac to halt interrogating employees about union activities, threatening employees with unspecified reprisals for backing the union, and terminating employees for engaging in union activities. She also ordered the company to offer reinstatement and back pay to three of the fired workers, and post a notice in the workplace detailing all her instructions and letting workers know of their right to form a union. (workersxzcompxzkit)

BrucePac reportedly failed to reinstate within the judge’s timeline, meaning it may have been planning to appeal her ruling to the next level: the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C.  

 

Do not use this information without independent verification. All state laws vary. You should consult with your insurance broker or agent about workers' comp issues.