VIUSA, Inc., ran aground due to a failure to properly navigate successorship issues, causing an NLRB negotiated settlement of $21.6 million on behalf of the Teamsters. At issue were a group of yard workers at a Ford plant, employed by Auto Handling, Inc. and represented by the Teamsters. They were laid off during a temporarily plant closure. When the plant reopened, VIUSA, in order to underbid Auto Handling for the yard work, informed Ford that its employees would be represented by the UAW using its tier 2 wage scale. Ford awarded the contract to VIUSA, and the Teamsters filed a complaint leading to the settlement. Successorship issues can be tricky. Read the full article for more details.
