ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, May 8, 1996 TAG: 9605080021
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B-8 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JEFF STURGEON STAFF WRITER
The International Union of Electronic Workers has cancelled a union organizing vote at Virginia Transformer Corp. The vote, scheduled at the Roanoke plant for Thursday, was called off by the union after consulting with a group of the company's employees, a union spokesman said.
The vote was to have been open to about 105 of the electrical product maker's 175 employees.
Chuck Van Dellen, secretary and treasurer of the union's regional office, said the company thwarted this week's vote with what he described as intimidating propaganda aimed at instilling fear in its workers. He wouldn't say what the workers believed they had to fear, adding that disclosure of the information might interfere with charges of unfair labor practice the union could file against the company with the National Labor Relations Board.
Van Dellen said no such charges will be filed at this time. He said the union could resume its campaign to organize Virginia Transformer employees and take the matter to an election, but had no definite plan for doing so.
"I'm going to keep an eye on it," Van Dellen said.
Company president Prabhat Jain said information the company gave employees consisted of "facts about unions and about IUE specifically" showing a union is not needed at Virginia Transformer.
Jain saw the vote's cancellation as recognition by the union that it had little chance of success. "We estimated the vote would have been like 4-to-1'' against union formation, Jain said. "They didn't even want to face the result of the count because it was going to be so adverse for the union."
LENGTH: Short : 36 linesby CNB