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Administrative Law Judge Issues Decision Finding Voith Violated Law, Discriminated Against Teamsters—President Fred Zuckerman Asks Voith To Submit To “Unconditional Surrender"
Aug 10, 2016

Jan 25, 2014

A Decision has been issued in a National Labor Relations Board complaint against Ford contractor Voith Industrial Services. The Company was found to have violated numerous sections of the National Labor Relations Act for several incidents surrounding the termination of two Local 89 affiliated workers.

On Jan. 4, 2013, Voith terminated sisters Kelly Stein and Patti Murphy based on supposed attendance violations and the refusal to perform assigned work.  However, as the testimony contained in the decision confirms, the terminations were instead reprisal for the workers’ objections to work in unsafe conditions as well as their strong Teamster affiliation. 

As stated in the Decision, Voith had imposed a discriminatory attendance policy on Stein and Murphy that violated the company’s own unilaterally imposed rules. As it was discovered, the policy had not been evenly applied to UAW affiliated workers and was modified without notification to employees.  Voith used the policy to terminate Murphy and Stein.

Stein and Murphy were also threatened for stating there was a possibility that they might contact the National Labor Relations Board and OSHA regarding safety issues. Prior to these threats, the two had objected to working in hazardous conditions while loading vehicles in rail cars in non-daylight hours.  The Local Rider governing operations at the Ford Louisville Assembly Plant forbids hazardous nighttime loading due to the lack of proper lighting at the facility.  Along with the attendance policy, Voith used a supposed refusal to perform nighttime work in rail cars as another reason to terminate Stein and Murphy.  However, neither were at work the day they supposedly refused to perform their assignments, which added to the skepticism in Voith’s testimony. 

Voith’s actions against Murphy and Stein were, as detailed in the Decision, retaliation for their testimonies in previous cases against Voith and the UAW.  Clearly, the Company had a clear animus against Local 89 and its supporters and instead, as evidenced in the Decision, Voith “wanted to keep the majority of their employees UAW”.   

As documented in the Decision, Voith Facility Manager Jason Miller had declared the company was at “war with the Teamsters” and that the employer was going “to uproot them”.   However, Wilson vastly underestimated the leadership and members of Teamsters Local 89 in their resolve and willingness to continue to fight to preserve half a century of hard-won workplace rights, fair pay and stable pensions and benefits.   

President Fred Zuckerman is now asking for the “unconditional surrender” of Voith. In a Jan. 24th letter sent to the company’s labor relations director Erwin F. Gephardt, President Zuckerman demands Voith comply with the Administrative Law Judge Bogus’ orders and immediately reinstate Stein and Murphy with back pay and other proper remedies.  It is further demanded that Teamsters who were unfairly denied employment when Voith replaced Cooper Auto Handling as the Ford contractor at LAP, be immediately be reinstated “without prejudice to their seniority or other rights or privileges previously enjoyed.” President Zuckerman also demanded Voith recognize and bargain with Teamsters Local 89 as the appropriate bargaining unit for the employees of the company and rescind all departures from the Teamster National Master Automobile Transporters Agreement which had governed operations at the Louisville Assembly Plant for decades. 

We hope Voith will act responsibly and adhere to the recent Decision and Order.   Further, we deem it wise for the company to act in a more responsible manner moving forward and work to ensure a less hostile work environment free from threats of retaliations for its employees’ federally and contractually guaranteed rights. 

President Zuckerman's Letter to Gephart/Voith


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Teamsters Local 89
3813 Taylor Blvd
Louisville, KY 40215
  502-368-5885


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