Union rallies in support of Selbyville Mountaire workers

United Food & Commercial Workers Local 27, the union representing 1,000 workers at the Mountaire Farms poultry plant in Selbyville, held a rally and caravan June 22 to support 1,000 union workers and to urge a yes vote on a pending election to keep or reject the union.

Union spokesman Jonathan Williams said the union had an appeal granted to stay the election, but the National Labor Relations Board ordered it to take place as scheduled via mail.

Ballots were mailed June 23 by the labor board to employees who have until 3 p.m., Tuesday, July 14, to return them by mail.

Several politicians, including U.S. Sen. Chris Coons, Delaware Attorney General Kathy Jennings and Lt. Gov. Bethany Hall-Long, attended the rally at the local’s office before joining a 50-vehicle caravan to the nearby Mountaire plant.

According to Nelson Hill, Local 27 spokesman, the union has filed federal charges against the company for engaging in unfair labor practices. He said the most recent charges allege that Mountaire management violated federal labor law by forcing union workers to attend employee meetings without regard to CDC social distancing guidelines and excluding a union representative from a COVID-related site visit and meeting with CDC and Delaware Health Department officials.

Hill said the company stopped sharing information with the union on positive cases in April. “At least 41 cases were reported at the plant,” he said.