According to Zhito Finance APP, the administrative law judge of the National Labor Relations Board ruled that the actions of the US oil & gas giant exxon mobil (XOM.US) to suspend approximately 600 union workers at the Texas refinery for 10 months during the contract dispute were legal.

It is understood that the judge supported exxon mobil in the ruling on November 21, believing that the suspensions in 2021 and 2022 were intended to pressure the united states steel workers union (USW) into reaching a final agreement, rather than to expel the union from the Beaumont refinery in Texas with a daily output of 369,024 barrels, nor to force employees to dissolve the union.

During the suspension, the USW faced decertification actions and filed unfair labor practice complaints, accusing the attempts to improperly undermine the union at the refinery.

The union is seeking millions of dollars in compensation for lost wages and benefits for workers who were locked out of the plant from May 2021 to March 2022.

"There is almost no evidence that the company locked out employees in that department, illegally pressured them to decertify the union," stated National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Judge Jeffrey Wedekind in the ruling opinion.

A spokesperson for exxon mobil did not respond to a request for comment from reporters.

Mickey Mosley, the president of the 13-243 chapter of the United Steelworkers representing exxon mobil workers, stated that the union is considering options put forward after the judge's ruling. According to regulatory provisions, the United Steelworkers can appeal to the National Labor Relations Board.

Mosley stated in a release, "We believe this decision does not reflect the actual circumstances of the case."

Wade Kindred made this decision 18 months after the hearing in the case began. The hearing reviewed internal documents related to negotiation strategy involving exxon mobil and whether post-contract reviews could be considered in the case.

However, Kindred excluded these documents, some of which showed that senior management at exxon mobil had long considered a work stoppage and discussed the conditions needed for union members to vote to decertify the union or formally dissolve it.

Documents reviewed by the media showed that exxon mobil's management had previously considered implementing a work stoppage but later believed that changing the workforce composition would benefit the company's strategy in future wage negotiations.

One-fifth of the workers who were initially laid off on May 1, 2021, had already left the company by the time the contract was resolved in March 2022.

According to testimony from the hearing, plant manager Jose Diaz wrote that these replaced personnel "worked as contractors during the work stoppage, which benefited site performance and long-term workforce strategy." These documents were posted on an internal website and leaked to the United Steelworkers (USW).

Another document suggested a possibility that in the next round of negotiations in 2027, by separating the contracts between the oil & gas complex's refinery and lubricant plant, workers could be encouraged to push for the union’s exit.

According to the document, former exxon mobil plant manager Jonathan Parsons stated: "If the 2027 contract is split, the refinery will ultimately lose its certification."