Nabisco Plant

We believe that the headline on your editorial “Absurdity Watch” (Jan. 10) was accurate. It is absurd to believe that there could be any truth to charges that Nabisco would deny any employees at our Oxnard facility the use of restrooms--and even more absurd to believe that the company would do so on the basis of gender.

Such unsubstantiated allegations have absolutely no basis in fact. Not only would these alleged abuses violate our Nabisco policies and work practices, they also would violate our contract with the union. That contract sets very specific provisions about relief breaks and related work practices at Oxnard. These practices are virtually identical with those at other production facilities throughout the food industry.

The truth of the matter is that beyond the scheduled breaks for our workers every two hours, our Oxnard facility has people specifically designated as relief workers. One of their responsibilities is to stand in for any worker--regardless of gender--who has to use the restroom.

Nabisco has a long and exemplary record of relationships with our employees and unions. It’s a record that has been formally acknowledged both by the Department of Labor and by several of our unions.

C. MICHAEL SAYEAU

Senior Vice President

Human Resources, Nabisco

Parsippany, N.J.