Truck drivers working for oil and gas giant Energy Transfer will be voting next month on whether to keep their union, after some employees petitioned federal labor authorities to end their representation by the United Steelworkers of America.
Drivers led by Jay Fifer, who works out of the company’s location in Hearne, Texas, filed their petition with the National Labor Relations Board last week. They were assisted by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a nonprofit that works to “eliminate coercive union power” and supports laws that limit unions’ means of collecting dues.
The election was scheduled after an agreement was reached between USW, the petitioning employees and Energy Transfer.
The vote will occur between May 7 and May 30, with a mix of in-person and mail-ballot voting for 400 workers in facilities spread across Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. At least 30 percent of workers must sign a petition to get a decertification election, while a majority is required to decertify the union.
