Woodman's union challenged

[Omaha Steve]

http://gazettextra.com/news/2008/jan/25/woodmans-union-challenged/

By JIM LEUTE ( Contact ) Friday, Jan. 25, 2008

JANESVILLE — With their contract set to expire in mid-March, about 1,000 employees of Woodman’s Food Market in Janesville, Beloit and Madison soon will learn if their union will be around to negotiate on their behalf.

That’s because a petition successfully made the rounds at the four stores to decertify United Food & Commercial Workers Local 1473 as the employees’ bargaining unit.

At least 30 percent of the represented workers signed the petition, which was forwarded to the Milwaukee office of the National Labor Relations Board.

The NLRB conducted a hearing Thursday in Madison, where an examiner heard testimony from those involved, said Irving Gottschalk, the NLRB’s regional director in Milwaukee.

The examiner will weigh the testimony and recommend within a couple weeks either that the NLRB dismiss the petition or schedule a date for employees to vote on decertification of the union.

UFCW 1473 is the largest local union in Wisconsin and represents more than 16,000 members in a variety of industries, including those in food stores.

FULL story at link.