NLRB seeks injunction against BrucePac

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is pursuing its most aggressive enforcement option against BrucePac. BrucePac, a Willamette Valley cooked meat processor, was accused last year of firing 17 union supporters weeks after workers began a campaign to join Laborers Local 296.

In April, a federal administrative law judge found enough evidence to order BrucePac to reinstate three of the fired workers with back pay. But the company, represented by the anti-union law firm Jackson Lewis, appealed that verdict to the National Labor Relations Board in Washington, D.C.

Instead of waiting for the outcome of the appeal, NLRB Regional Director Rich Ahearn is seeking a federal court injunction ordering BrucePac to reinstate the three workers immediately. Oregon U.S. District Court Judge Garr King heard the injunction request June 25, and is giving both sides until July 30 to make their arguments. A decision is likely soon after that, Ahearn said. NLRB usually prevails when it requests the so-called “10(j)” injunctions, because it only seeks the court orders in the most egregious violations of U.S. labor law.

For BrucePac to return Manuel Coria, Jose Carmen Maciel, and Daniel Luna to their jobs would offer a measure of justice to the fired workers, and it could serve as a psychological victory for union supporters at BrucePac.

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