Brylane Workers Will Vote on Joining Union
Workers at Brylane's Indiana catalog distribution centers begin voting Jan. 9 on whether to join the Union of Needletrades, Industrial and Textile Employees.The vote, which continues through Jan. 23, is a secret mail-in card/ballot administered by Paul Deignan, an attorney who is neutral in the proceeding. Deignan will authenticate and count the employees' card/ballots.
If a majority of the Brylane distribution center employees choose to be represented by UNITE, Brylane will recognize the union and start negotiations on the first union contract for the Indiana facilities.
If the vote is not in favor of union representation, UNITE will end its Brylane organizing activities in Indiana and elsewhere for at least one year, according to the statement by Brylane and UNITE.
Brylane and UNITE agreed on the voting process late last month after previously rejecting each other's suggested method. The Washington headquarters of the National Labor Relations Board last month upheld a decision by the Indianapolis NLRB letting Brylane workers vote through what the union called a "neutrality card-check process." Brylane appealed the decision.
UNITE demonstrated in front of Brylane's New York offices in November, accusing the company of intimidation, harassment and hiring a union-busting law firm.
