Avondale Vindicated by Unanimous 5th Circuit Court Decision.NEW ORLEANS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 7, 1999-- Avondale Industries Inc. (NASDAQ/NMS: AVDL AVDL Application Vulnerability Description Language ) today announced that it has been notified by the United States Circuit Court The United States circuit courts were the original intermediate level courts of the United States federal court system. They were established by the Judiciary Act of 1789. They had both trial court jurisdiction over major federal crimes, and appellate jurisdiction over the United that Avondale's contestment of the 1993 union election has been upheld. Albert L. Bossier, Jr., Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Avondale said, "We are gratified grat·i·fy tr.v. grat·i·fied, grat·i·fy·ing, grat·i·fies 1. To please or satisfy: His achievement gratified his father. See Synonyms at please. 2. that the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals has upheld the position of Avondale Industries by finding the 1993 representation election 'fatally flawed'." The ruling means that the election lacks validity, as the Company has maintained for six years. It also demonstrates the falsity of the attacks on Avondale by the Metal Trades Council and its partners at the AFL-CIO AFL-CIO: see American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations. AFL-CIO in full American Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations U.S. in Washington. It should now be obvious to everyone that the union's $3 million corporate campaign, used as a tool to discredit the company with its employees, the community and the U.S. Navy, was a ploy to strong arm the Company to the negotiating table in order to avoid this decision. Bossier further noted that "Under the decision, the Metal Trades Council of New Orleans has no standing as the bargaining agent A union that possesses the sole authority to act on behalf of all the employees of a particular type in a company. A bargaining agent is certified by the national labor relations board for Avondale employees. The Company was correct in declining to negotiate with the union. It was also correct to contest the directive of the National Labor Relations Board National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), independent agency of the U.S. government created under the National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (Wagner Act), and amended by the acts of 1947 (Taft-Hartley Labor Act) and 1959 (Landrum-Griffin Act), which affirmed labor's right on that score." The Company has never viewed this legal dispute as a contest with its employees. Avondale management highly values the shipyard workforce for its efficiency and skill. Despite the stresses caused by this controversy, the employees have performed exceptionally. They have contributed greatly to the Company's growth and success during the 1990s. With this ruling behind us, the Company looks forward to further progress that will benefit everyone associated with Avondale. Avondale Industries, Inc. based in metro New Orleans, designs, builds and overhauls ships for the U.S. Navy, the U.S. Coast Guard and commercial customers. |
|
||||||||||||||||
Printer friendly
Cite/link
Email
Feedback
Reader Opinion