Bhatt discusses allegations at the county government center in Monticello

MONTICELLO – Workers’ rights groups Monday united behind employees at Deb-El Foods in Sullivan County, contending seven of their workers were fired because they tried to organize a union at the egg product manufacturing company.

Late last year, the National Labor Relations Board ruled in favor of workers at the plant and issued a complaint outlining the company’s alleged misconduct against the workers. The company since appealed the ruling and on Monday, the NLRB began hearings in Monticello.

Milan Bhatt, executive director of the Workers’ Rights Law Center of New York, headquartered in Kingston, said some employees were apparently mistreated at the plant.

“There were reports of the type of conduct on behalf of management and other agents which includes such incidents as threats being issued against children and other family members of workers", Bhatt told a Monticello news conference. “We’ve heard of instances where workers were told to eat eggs off of the floor, where they were deprived use of basic facilities such as public restrooms, in one instance, we know of one worker who was physically abused; he was assaulted in the parking lot of his own home.”

Bhatt said the NLRB administrative hearing will go on for days or weeks.