THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, August 12, 1995 TAG: 9508120070
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: D1 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY STEPHANIE STOUGHTON, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 54 lines
Be-Lo Food Stores will appeal a federal order requiring it to negotiate with the United Food and Commercial Workers Union, the company's president said in a statement Friday.
``Our employees feel so strongly against the union that we would be selling them out if we did not appeal this decision,'' said Guy Sykes, president of Camellia Food Stores Inc., Be-Lo's parent company.
``After everything the union has done, our employees would be furious with us if we recognized the union and did not appeal this decision,'' he said.
The union claims it would have won the March 1991 election if Be-Lo hadn't interfered. The National Labor Relations Board agreed, ruling last week that some Be-Lo employees were harassed and threatened by the company before the election. Other workers with union ties were fired, laid off or had their hours cut, the board added.
Workers also said they were warned that stores would be closed and their jobs eliminated if the union succeeded.
A three-judge panel sided with the union, saying Be-Lo must bargain with union officials. The labor relations board also ordered the Norfolk-based chain to compensate and offer jobs to about a dozen former employees dismissed during the struggle.
Be-Lo has been battling the union for five years and says it isn't giving up. The company said it plans to take its case to the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
``We are optimistic that the board's decision will be reversed,'' Sykes said in a statement.
A spokesman said an appeal will be filed in 30 days.
Thomas R. McNutt, president of the union's Local 400, said he doubted the case would be overturned.
``The board was very, very careful in drafting that decision,'' he said. ``They anticipated an appeal.''
Be-Lo won its first fight when its employees voted against union representation, 377-220, about four years ago. But union officials quickly accused the company of dirty tricks. They say the company scared off almost half of the 400 workers who planned to vote for union representation.
Sykes disagrees. He says the labor relations board ignored evidence showing the union never had a majority of the workers on its side.
In September 1993, an administrative law judge with the labor relations board sided with union, ordering Be-Lo to negotiate. Be-Lo then appealed to the full board.
Both sides say the battle has been long and costly. And officials expect it to continue for at least a year. by CNB