WILLIAMSBURG, Va. (AP) -- Officials at Smithfield Foods say they are willing to discuss elections to form a union at their Tar Heel, North Carolina, plant.

But the Smithfield, Virginia-based company says it will not meet with labor organizers who have not been designated to represent the plant's 5,000 employees.

The company's chief executive officer Larry Pope spoke today at the annual shareholder meeting in Williamsburg. He told a group of labor representatives that the company wants to see a resolution to a 12-year-old debate over establishing a union at the plant.

But Pope says he will not bargain with a group of community and religious leaders that has been speaking for workers.

“We're here to call on this company to say 12 years of denial, 12 years of play is long enough,” said Reverend William Barber of the North Carolina NAACP. “It's time to move, it's time for the company to sit down with the workers."

Some of the workers believe a union could improve work conditions, but there's also another side that wants the company to share the wealth.

“Maybe if our voices are heard something will change,” said Smithfield worker Terry Slaughter.

"We have a large percent of people just getting hurt to increase speed that's occurring because they're increasing production,” said Smithfield worker Sidney Townsent.

"Workers rights are fundamental to America, and we believe what happens in one state affects those in another,” said Rev. Barber.

Smithfield says it's willing to establish a union at the plant, if workers vote in favor for one using a secret ballot process.

But labor organizers say the company has influenced two previous attempts at union elections by threatening workers. They want to see a process in which workers would give labor representatives a card saying whether they support a union.

(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)