Washington, D.C. - After intervention by the National Labor Relations Board, a federal judge in Newark, NJ, this week ordered South Kearny-based Alden Leeds, Inc., to rehire 50 workers who were unlawfully locked out of their jobs while bargaining for a contract.  Kimberly Freeman Brown, Executive Director of American Rights at Work, released the following statement:

"The court's decision is welcome relief to the families of these 50 workers who have been wrongfully denied the right to bargain in good faith for fair wages and benefits by their employer. The swimming pool chemical manufacturer abruptly and shamefully dumped its workforce, retaliating against employees who simply wanted to preserve decent job standards. Instead of trying to respectfully settle differences in contract negotiations, the company strong armed its workers, leaving them out of work for more than eight months.   

Locking workers out of their jobs is an unlawful, all too common negotiating tactic in today’s workplace. More important, it is simply wrong to treat employees that way when they are just seeking fair treatment.  I applaud the National Labor Relations Board in their successful fight for an injunction to get these workers back on the job, defending their rights to bargain in good faith with their employer.  

Resources:

NLRB announcement of judge's decision

NLRB v. Alden Leeds, Brief in Support of Injunction

NLRB v. Alden Leeds, Judge's Order of Injunction

E-Alert from the United Food and Commercial Workers