USW Not Surprised By Election Results at Siemens in North East, Maryland

Contacts: Phil Ornot: (412) 855- 3808, pornot@usw.org

(Pittsburgh) -- In the election conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) at Siemens in North East, Maryland, today 15 workers voted for the United Steelworkers (USW) and 24 voted for no union.  Two workers did not vote.

“This result is not surprising, given the savage anti-union campaign conducted by Siemens and its hired union-busting consultants over the past six weeks,” said USW Organizer Phil Ornot. “Siemens managers and consultants held daily captive audience meetings where workers were told that it would be futile to join the union and that the company would lose customers if the union won the election.

“The company removed union literature, prohibited workers from talking about the union, conducted surveillance of union supporters, withheld wage increases, circulated an anti-union petition, and denied Siemens employees from USW locals access to the plant. In its campaign to maintain dictatorial control over its workers, Siemens created a climate of fear and intimidation in the workplace.”

All of these actions violate U.S. labor law, and the USW will continue the legal process through the NLRB to hold Siemens accountable for its unlawful behavior.  This could result in overturning today's vote and holding a new election in the next few months.

Siemens’s actions also blatantly violate the International Framework Agreement that the company signed with the IndustriALL Global Union, the Siemens Central Works Council, and the German metalworkers union IG Metall on July 25, in which the company pledged to respect freedom of association, adopt a constructive approach to labor conflicts, and adhere to international standards.  

In its quest to intimidate and terrorize a small number of employees in Maryland who simply asked for respect and a voice in their workplace, Siemens has besmirched its global reputation and earned the repudiation of the entire global trade union movement.

The United Steelworkers thanks our allies around the world; especially UNITE in the UK, IG Metall, the Central Works Council, IndustriALL, and LabourStart, for their solidarity with the workers in North East.  

“We will now enter the next phase of this fight,” said Ornot. This will include expansion of the global campaign to expose the outrageous behavior of Siemens management at every level. We ask all who have helped the workers in North East to continue their support to hold Siemens accountable for its bullying.