Sodexo could face trial over alleged violations of U.S. labor law as NLRB takes up charges against the company

The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has determined there is enough evidence to pursue charges against Sodexo for allegedly violating U.S. labor law. After an investigation, the NLRB found that charges of interrogating, spying on, firing and/or threatening to fire workers suspected of supporting the union, and illegally using campus police to force a union organizer off campus have merit and has ruled it has enough evidence to bring Sodexo to trial.

The charges stem from union activity at Tulane and Loyola universities from February to May of 2010. They include charges that Sodexo:

Spied on workers engaged in union activity;

Fired a pro-union Sodexo employee in retaliation for her union activity;

Threatened employees with termination in retaliation for their union support;

Used Tulane University police to expel a union organizer from campus;

Used Tulane University police as its agent to interrogate employees regarding their union activity; and

Retaliated against employees for union activity

The NLRB also found merit in charges against Tulane University including allegations relating to: illegally detaining and expelling pro-union Sodexo employees from its campus and unlawfully restricting access to the campus; illegally videotaping pro-union Sodexo employees; spying on pro-union employees by permanently posting its police officers outside cafeteria buildings on its campus; and illegally interrogating pro-union Sodexo employees in the presence of Sodexo managers and questioning employees regarding their union activities during those interviews. SEIU chose to withdraw several charges after Sodexo workers involved in the incidents were too frightened to testify against the company.