Production and maintenance employees at R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Co. have rejected union representation, said the company based in Winston-Salem, N.C.

Voting on whether the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM) and the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International Union (BCTGM) should represent workers in collective bargaining, preliminary results show 686 employees voted against and 556 for union representation.
Certification of the results by the National Labor Relations Board is expected in seven days, R.J. Reynolds said in a statement on 21 Oct. (ci)