81 Percent Vote to Oust Union
SELBYVILLE, DE – An overwhelming majority of Mountaire employees who are members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 27 union voted to remove the union yesterday, according to the National Labor Relations Board who counted the votes on Thursday.
The mail-in ballots were counted on Thursday afternoon at the NLRB regional office in Baltimore. The vote count was 356 – 80. The vote is expected to be officially certified on December 23rd, 2021.
“After 44 years of union representation, the Selbyville plant takes a huge step forward today,” said Phillip Plylar, President of Mountaire Farms. “Our employees have just been asking for their voices to be heard, and today, they were heard loud and clear.”
A Selbyville employee filed a petition in October to decertify the union. The mail-in ballot was sent to employees in November and had to be received by the NLRB by Thursday at 3 pm.
Last summer, employees asked for decertification of the UFCW but were denied the option due to a technicality. A mail-in ballot was held but the union filed numerous challenges and ultimately, the NLRB threw out the vote without counting it. This fall was the first opportunity employees had to again ask for an election.
Selbyville is the only processing plant owned by Mountaire Farms where unions are present. These unions have been part of the plant since it was purchased by Mountaire in 1977.
About Mountaire Farms
Mountaire Farms is an agricultural food processing company providing work for almost 10,000 people at facilities in Arkansas, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and North Carolina. Mountaire Farms is a privately owned, Jesus-centered company with a commitment to the communities in which our employees work and live. For more information, visit www.mountaire.com.or visit us on Facebook.
