American Rights at Work - Discovery: Rick Berman's Ties to Anti-Union Smithfield Foods

Discovery: Rick Berman's Ties to Anti-Union Smithfield Foods

PR hack. Corporate lobbyist. Shameless shill for alcohol & tobacco industries. Rick Berman is all of these and more, but now the man who calls himself "Dr. Evil" has a new moniker: professional unionbuster.

Earlier this summer, the public got a good look at Berman’s business operations from the perspective of a long-term client. For a six-week period in June-July 2008, court filings available on the federal court docket provided some details about Berman’s role in Smithfield Foods' notorious anti-union efforts over the last decade.

Unfortunately, those facts didn’t remain in the light of day: the curtains were closed when the court recently granted a request to place all those filings “under seal” – a move that’s becoming all too common these days, as employers try to maintain a veil of secrecy over their activities, even in public court proceedings.

» Read more about this discovery.