Delaware poultry worker files federal charges against local union, claiming violations Delaware News Journal Published 12:52 PM EDT Apr 28, 2020 An employee at a southern Delaware chicken plant has filed federal charges against their union representative, claiming "union officials are violating his and his coworkers’ rights by seizing union fees." Oscar Cruz Sosa, an employee at Mountaire Farms’ poultry processing plant in Selbyville, has filed federal charges with the National Labor Relations Board against the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 27 union for threats and other violations of federal law, according to a press release issued Tuesday by the National Right to Work Foundation. Sosa said the union seized union fees "under an unlawful forced dues provision in the union contract," according to the release. Sosa’s charges also allege that a union official visited Sosa at his home in March and threatened him for submitting a petition seeking a vote to remove the union from his workplace.  Mountaire Farms of Delmarva located in Selbyville, De. Thursday, Feb. 9, 2017. Staff Photo by Megan Raymond THE CORONAVIRUS CONNECTION: Why Sussex County has seen a drastic increase in coronavirus cases The charges come after a debate regarding decertification of the union, which union officials previously said represents about 800 employees at Allen Harim’s processing plant in Harbeson and 1,000 at Mountaire Farms’ processing plant in Selbyville. The local union also represents workers in other industries throughout the state. The National Right to Work Foundation attorneys representing Sosa in his claims are also defending the workers’ right to hold a vote in that proceeding, the release said. Sosa is asking the board to order union officials to refund dues and fees seized from him and his coworkers under that clause. RELATED: During the coronavirus outbreak, are Delaware’s chicken plant workers able to stay safe? As for the March visit from an uninvited union official, Sosa’s charge describes that interaction as “threatening” and “coercive behavior” and a clear attempt to restrain Sosa and his coworkers’ right to vote out the union. A worker enters the Allen Harim chicken processing plant in Harbeson Thursday. WILLIAM BRETZGER, DELAWARE NEWS JOURNAL SUSSEX COUNCILMAN: Testing chicken plant workers for COVID-19 a ‘dumb idea’ “The threats and dues deductions in this case show how union bosses regularly trample workers’ rights in order to keep forced dues rolling into their coffers,” said National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “We hope that NLRB Region 5 will immediately prosecute the union for these violations, and ultimately order that the union refund all union dues and fees collected from Mountaire Farms workers under the unlawful forced dues clause.” Earlier this month, union officials said they’ve been trying to get Mountaire to implement more protection measures for employees during the COVID-19 pandemic. State and local officials have turned their attention to Delaware’s poultry plants in recent weeks as more cases are confirmed and the virus spreads throughout the communities where those workers live. Contact reporter Maddy Lauria at (302) 345-0608, mlauria@delawareonline.com or on Twitter @MaddyinMilford. Published 12:52 PM EDT Apr 28, 2020

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