St. Croix, VI – Friday afternoon Luis Diaz, Agent for the National Labor Relations Board, announced the union election results by the workers of the St. Croix Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants at Frederiksted, Orange Grove and Sunny Isle. Diaz declared that the workers voted 28-5 in favor of rejecting Our Virgin Islands Labor Union to represent them.

Juan Mujica, Vice President of Operations for Kazi Foods of the Virgin Islands Inc. stated that he is “very pleased with the results of the election and that the workers are giving Kazi Foods, the franchise owner, a chance to show its commitment to its employees”. Mujica stated that “the workers made an informed decision and now Kazi Foods will be able to work directly with its employees.”

The KFC workers were represented by the Virgin Islands Workers Union, who was originally in a three way election with Our Virgin Islands Labor Union and Kazi Foods of the Virgin Islands. Prior to the Dec. 7th election, Charlesworth Nicholas, President of the Virgin Islands Workers Union, withdrew from Friday’s election by voluntarily waiving and releasing the VIWU’s representation of the St. Croix KFC employees, leaving them without their elected Union representation and consequently pitting OVILU against the Kazi Foods.

Attorney Ravinder Nagi of Tom Bolt and Associates P.C. of St. Thomas, counsel for Kazi Foods, said that he attributed “the overwhelming support for Kazi Foods to the workers understanding the facts, their previous experience with a union and the expense of joining the union and that there is no assurance of increased benefits as a result of being a part of the union.”

Kazi Foods is owned by Zubair Kazi, the second-largest operator of Kentucky Fried Chicken restaurants in the United States and the operator of the Kentucky Fried Chicken and Pizza Hut restaurants throughout the Virgin Islands.