Hershey’s employees speak out on why they don’t want a union in Stuarts Draft

AUGUSTA COUNTY, Va. (WHSV) - To unionize or not? That’s the decision facing Stuarts Draft Hershey’s employees now.

A group of Hershey’s employees, and a few former employees, in Augusta County are attempting to unionize because they say they want better working conditions, but others said they are standing with Hershey’s.

“I would say there’s a lot of people who don’t want this. We have a good place to work. Hershey has been good to a lot of us and it’s really been good to me,” Brian Barker, a Hershey’s employee for 20 years, said. “I prefer to be able to talk to my management one-on-one, me and them. I don’t need somebody to talk for me and I’d like to keep it that way.”

Jason Humphries has worked at Hershey’s for nearly ten years. He said he likes his job, makes good money, and enjoys the atmosphere at the Stuarts Draft plant. At first, Humphries said he thought unionizing was a good idea, but changed his mind.

“What we have in there right now is great as far as you can collaborate with your boss. You can go into the office and talk to your manager anytime you want to,” Humphries said. “When you bring a union into a situation like that, then you’ve gotta have someone there to do the talking for you. I have a voice. I know how to use my voice.”

Both Barker and Humphries said they have worked in a union in the past, but neither of them wants a union at Hershey’s now or ever.

One employee, who wasn’t comfortable sharing their name or voice, said they often work seven days a week, and many work weeks at a time without a day off. They do get paid overtime on days six and seven, but they said sometimes it’s hard to get permission to take a day off.

“We have people that complain about overtime and things of that nature, but I like my overtime. I want to retire early,” Barker said. “I’ve never had a problem getting a day off. It might not always be the day I want off, but that’s called work, and I don’t have a problem with that.”

Employees hoping to unionize, like former employee Janice Taylor, are seeking representation by the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers’ International Union. Taylor said she has personal experience as a union member.

“They have changed so drastically in the last 14 years. I loved working there when I first went in there. I loved it. The people were great, management was great. They actually cared,” former Hershey’s employee Janice Taylor previously told WHSV.

In a previous statement to WHSV, a Hershey’s spokesperson said:

“While we respect our team members’ right to make an educated decision on whether they want to be represented by a third-party like a union, we believe the insertion of a union would be counter-productive and undermine the open and collaborative environment that has allowed the Stuarts Draft plant to thrive for 40 years.”

Employees have the opportunity to vote by mail to decide if the plant will join the union. Ballots went out late February.

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