Sysco Subsidiary Evades Bargaining Order for Union Busting

A Michigan-based subsidiary of multinational food distributor Sysco Corp. won’t have to recognize and negotiate with a union despite the company’s widespread labor law violations prior to an election, the NLRB said in a ruling that canceled its earlier bargaining order.

A divided National Labor Relations Board said April 4 that Sysco Grand Rapids’ “extensive and serious” union-busting tactics warrant enhanced remedies to allow for a fair election, but practical considerations counsel against a bargaining order.

The four-year delay between the unlawful conduct and decision would likely make the order unenforceable in court, plus the 30 percent turnover during that ...