Friday, October 16, 2009
CPU prevails in vote at MeadWestvaco
If no objections are filed within a week, the union will likely be certified as the mill's bargaining unit.
The latest from The Ticker blog
After an ultramarathon that began two years ago, the Covington Paperworkers Union Local 675 apparently won the right Wednesday to represent about 900 union members at the MeadWestvaco paper mill in Covington.
The National Labor Relations Board reported Thursday that CPU prevailed over rival United Steelworkers Local 8-675 in a vote that occurred Wednesday at the mill. CPU received 450 votes to 411 for USW, which has been backed by Pittsburgh-based powerhouse United Steelworkers International.
USW will have seven days to file objections with the labor board about the election. If none is filed, the board is likely to certify CPU as the bargaining unit.
Bobby Harrison, president of USW Local 8-675, and Luis Mendoza, a USW staff representative, released a statement Thursday that included neither a hint of concession of defeat nor a mention of reconciliation.
Harrison said, "We are gathering our officers and activists and reviewing our situation."
Mendoza said: "We support the continued needs of USW Local 8-675 as they move into this new phase of their organizing efforts."
CPU President Roy Hall said Local 675 is emphasizing bringing people back together to form a stronger union.
"We've been talking with people on both sides of the fence," Hall said. "We started last night."
He said he has not talked to Harrison or Mendoza but hopes to in the days ahead.
"Let's move forward," Hall said. "Let's begin the healing process."
CPU formed about two years ago when Hall and other former members of the USW local expressed dissatisfaction with contract negotiators from United Steelworkers International.
The split came after more than a year of failed contract negotiations between USW Local 8-675 and MeadWestvaco.
Howard Neidig, a regional spokesman for the labor board, said MeadWestvaco will not be able to unilaterally alter any contract terms previously negotiated with USW without first negotiating with CPU. And any new contract negotiations will have to wait until CPU is the certified bargaining unit.
Wednesday's election was the third held to try to determine which local would be the bargaining unit for about 900 workers.
A Sept. 30 election did not yield a majority winner.
During the first election, in March 2008, CPU won by a narrow margin. But USW alleged misconduct by CPU in the run-up to the ballot and the labor board found enough evidence to call for another vote. CPU appealed that decision and the issue remained in limbo until recently.
In the interim, USW had remained the bargaining unit. In July, a majority of union members voted to approve a new six-year contract negotiated with MeadWestvaco by USW. The former contract had expired in December 2006, and its terms had remained in effect until July.
