POLAND – Worker representation looks like a thing of the past at the Poland Spring bottling plant after a majority of employees voted to dissolve their involvement with a national union.

A company lawyer said 56 percent of the workers supported that decision to end their involvement with the union.

Elizabeth Swain, a Portland lawyer representing the company, said 197 votes were cast, with 206 workers eligible to weigh in on the issue. Nonunion workers were not allowed to vote, Swain said.

The union, United Food and Commercial Workers, has represented the employees for about 18 years. Workers unhappy with the amount of contact between them and Local 1445, which is based in Dedham, Mass., called for the vote.

According to Swain, the decision still needs certification from the National Labor Relations Board. She expected that to happen in about a week.

Company officials enthusiastically greeted the vote results Wednesday night, saying the decision may help improve relations between workers and the company.

“These results give an opportunity for the company and its employees to work directly together,” said plant manager Jim Buatte. “We appreciate the trust and confidence expressed by the majority of our employees.”

The biggest grievance from the workers was what they felt was limited contact with union leadership.

Earlier this week, a Local 1445 vice president said he believed meetings between workers and union officials appeared to have resolved many problems. Doug Belanger, vice president and director of the union, also accused Poland Spring company officials of “running a campaign of distraction and misinformation” in order to convince workers to oust the union.

But Poland Spring spokeswoman Jane Lazgin countered by pointing out that the union vote was initiated by its membership, not company officials.

Lazgin could not be reached for comment Wednesday night.

UFCW represents about 15,000 workers in New England, primarily in food, service and retail industries. At Poland Spring, workers were given two nights to cast their votes, to accommodate their schedules.