Woodford Reserve tried to undermine unionization effort at its Kentucky distillery, judge rules

By BRUCE SCHREINER
Associated Press

A federal judge has ruled that Woodford Reserve undermined unionization efforts at its Kentucky distillery by awarding pay raises, relaxing its vacation policy and handing out bottles of whiskey to workers before a vote on whether to unionize. Andrew S. Gollin, an administrative law judge with the National Labor Relations Board, wrote in his decision Monday that the sweeteners the prominent bourbon maker offered to workers were timed to influence the outcome of the unionization vote. The 2022 unionization effort failed, but Gollin set aside the election results and said Woodford Reserve and its parent company should recognize and bargain with a local Teamsters union.