After more than a year of investigation, federal officials have concluded that last year’s vote on unionizing a hip Athens-based craft beer company was fair and that the union’s defeat was valid.
Workers voted 32-21 to reject a proposed union at the Creature Comforts Brewing Company last year, and the National Labor Relations Board has now certified the results, turning down an appeal filed by labor activists.
The NLRB also dismissed the union’s claim that the company had committed a number of unfair labor practices that were violations of the National Labor Relations Act in the months leading up to the vote last October.
There was “insufficient evidence to establish a violation of the act,” according to a letter from Terry Combs, NLRB’s acting regional director.
Company officials this week said they were pleased with the results.
“We’re relieved to have our good name cleared with this decision,” said Adam Beauchamp, chief executive officer and co-founder of Creature Comforts, in a statement. “It was painful to face malicious and unfounded accusations, and we are proud that the facts have shown these claims to have no basis at Creature Comforts.”
A message from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to the union was not immediately returned.
The ruling closes the door — at least for now — on several years of efforts to unionize the operations and give the Brewery Union of Georgia authority to negotiate a contract. It comes nearly two years after union organizers first filed a petition asking for the right to represent workers at two locations of the Creature Comforts Brewing Company.
Pro-union workers had first wanted the company to voluntarily recognize the union, but the company would not agree, challenging the union’s view of who should be included in the vote.
The company argued against including workers at both its Athens and Los Angeles facilities. The company also said many of the workers included in the petition were, in fact, supervisors and should not be eligible for the union.
The NLRB did agree with most of the activists’ contentions about a potential bargaining unit, which led to the vote held last year.
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