NLRB Joins Union in Unfair Labor Charge

In a third case involving mainly immigrant workers, a union lost an election at Ultra Wheel Co. of Buena Park, but won the National Labor Relations Board’s help in pressing unfair labor practice charges against the aluminum car wheel manufacturer.

The United Electrical, Radio and Machine Workers union had sought to organize Ultra Wheel’s 329 workers, 90% of whom are Latino immigrants, saying they were paid low wages with no health insurance, and were forced to eat meals at their machines.

The union narrowly lost a recent election to represent the workers. But the NLRB has adopted union charges that Ultra Wheel intimidated and spied on workers, threatened some with deportation, interfered with the distribution of handbills and fired two workers for union activities.

NLRB regional attorney William R. Pate Jr. said the agency reached an informal settlement with Ultra Wheel in January in which the company promised to comply with laws protecting union activities and reinstate the two fired workers with back pay.

But the NLRB now says the anti-union offenses continued. It issued a complaint June 5 accusing Ultra Wheel of refusing to comply with the settlement agreement. Consolidating the charges before and after the settlement was reached, the NLRB is seeking a formal compliance order against the company.

An administrative law judge is scheduled to hear the case Dec. 1. Ultra Wheel spokeswoman Paula Simms declined to discuss details of the case pending the trial-like proceeding.

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E. Scott Reckard covers workplace issues for The Times. He can be reached at (714) 966-7407 and at [email protected]