THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: Saturday, April 15, 1995 TAG: 9504150326 SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D2 EDITION: FINAL SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Short : 36 lines
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union has lost its second battle with Camellia Food Stores Inc.
Workers at Meatland and Food City supermarkets - both owned by Norfolk-based Camellia - rejected union representation by a vote of 178 to 146, the company said in a statement Friday.
Ballots from 21 Meatland and Food City stores in Virginia, Maryland and Delaware were tallied late Thursday night. Union offices were closed Friday, and the organization's officials could not be reached at home.
Earlier this week, the organization filed charges against Camellia with the National Labor Relations Board. It said the company fired several workers linked to the union, and threatened and interrogated employees in the weeks before Thursday's election.
The recent charges are the latest in a battle between Camellia and the United Food and Commercial Workers Union. The union also lost an election in 1991 at the company's Be-Lo stores. At the time, it accused Be-Lo of illegally influencing the outcome of the election by pressuring workers and firing union organizers.
Guy Sykes, Camellia's chief operating officer, accused the union's Local 27 of appearing ``whenever something unusual happens with these stores.'' Camellia recently closed its warehouse and distribution center in Norfolk.
``They must think these are times when we are in trouble, but in reality these were good business decisions,'' Sykes said. by CNB