As of December 11, 2006, Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies is officially union-free, according to the company. The National Labor Relations Board has certified and confirmed the results of a decertification vote that took place on October 5. Almost two-thirds of the production plant employees in Rice Lake, Wis., voted against having Teamsters continue as the collective bargaining representative, essentially creating a non-union shop. Johnson, a union shop for more than 40 years, overcame a labor dispute in 2005, with a considerable rebound in 2006. On April 7, 2005, during labor negotiations between Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies and Teamsters Local 662, union officials broke negotiations, pulled all 267 Johnson union employees off the job and called a strike. The seven-month strike concluded during the last week of October 2005 and Johnson has since been steadily rebuilding its productivity and streamlining its systems. For more information about this announcement, contact Johnson Refrigerated Truck Bodies President Ron Ricci at (715) 234-7071.