The National Labor Relations board has issued an official complaint against Smithfield Foods Inc. related to charges made several months ago by one local union that the company had engaged in unfair labor practices, according to a report by the Associated Press.

The complaint stems from Smithfield's plan to consolidate operations of two of its main plants in Smithfield, Va. The employees of the facility that is closing are represented by Food Processors Local 1046; the employees of the other belong to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.

The Food Processors contend that Smithfield had improperly negotiated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters on behalf of members of Local 1046, by working out a proposal by which the transferred workers could maintain their seniority while joining the Teamsters. The NLRB also said the company refused to negotiate with the Food Processors on behalf of the transferring workers, according to a report in the Daily Press of Newport News, Va..

Smithfield and Local 1046 are meeting on the issue, and may reach a settlement before the complaint moves to an Administrative Law Court, NLRB's Regional Director Wayne Gold is quoted as saying.

Smithfield intends to transfer 750 employees of its South Plant to the nearby North Plant in Smithfield. The board argued that because a large number of the South Plant workers' jobs will not change as part of the transfer, they will "not lose their separate identity," Gold is quoted as saying in the Daily Press report. Therefore, those workers should continue to be represented by the Food Processors.

Smithfield Vice President Jeff Gough said in a statement that the company is disappointed with the decision and plans to challenge the complaint in court. The NLRB's ruling means that transferred employees "will have limited opportunities for advancement and will be ineligible for Teamsters positions which represent the majority of the jobs at the plant," the statement said.