The company has also been slapped by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) multiple times.
One of Mississippi’s largest private employers is spending $236 million on an expansion into the state, adding to its already existing 14 sites throughout the state.
Howard Industries, which makes distribution transformers, will benefit from substantial tax incentives other logistical and financial assistance from the Mississippi Development Authority for the project.
The MDA will find those funds in the Mississippi Flexible Tax Incentive, or MFLEX, program, and will also help the family-owned company buy land, build its facilities and link up to new infrastructure built for it.
How much the MDA will spend in public funds on the private investment has not been disclosed, but it will be on top of the corporate investment on nearly $240 million being spent by the company. It said it plans to expand into Clarke, Jones and Simpson counties.
Howard currently employs around 4,000 workers, most of whom are not unionized. A small number of them are part of International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 1317, which has accused Howard in the past of paying “bottom feeder” wages.
The company has also been slapped by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) multiple times, including for allegations of unfair labor practices, such as refusals to provide information to the union and unilateral changes to policies.
In one infamous case, Howard and the NLRB tangled over which employees could receive hams for Christmas, a process which was not run by union leaders first. The case was dismissed after Howard implemented the hams/union conversation as part of the annual tradition.
Mississippi is a right to work state, meaning union membership is not mandatory, and employers have much more leeway ofnbreaking fledgling organization or discouraging organizing tactics.
