Chicago, IL (May 29, 2009) – With free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, seven employees who refused to abandon their jobs during a strike forced a settlement with a local union after union officials levied exorbitant and illegal retaliatory fines against them.

The employees, truck drivers for industrial laundry company Lechner and Sons, filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Teamsters Local Union 731, an affiliate of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters union, after Local 731 union officials hit the employees with fines ranging from $13,946 to $40,000 each for not abandoning their jobs during a strike. None of the employees were truly voluntary members of the union during the strike.

In July 2006, Local 731 union bosses ordered the employees to abandon their jobs during a so-called “sympathy strike” involving a different bargaining unit of workers at the plant where the strike occurred. After the strike ended in June 2007, union brass claimed the power to use fines to discipline non-striking employees.

Union officials never informed any of the employees of their right to refrain from formal union membership and pay a reduced amount of forced dues. Instead, union officials mislead the employees into believing that formal, full-dues-paying union membership was a condition of employment.

The union hierarchy also claimed the power to discipline two employees for working during the strike even though they were not union members during the strike. The union bosses illegally threatened one employee that if he did not pay the fine, he would never again work in a “union shop.”

With help from Foundation attorneys, the employees forced Local 731 union officials to drop the fines against the seven workers and refund part of their forced dues.

“It is unconscionable for union bosses to mislead employees into union membership and then attempt to drive them into the poorhouse in vicious retaliation for working,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Confiscatory fines and kangaroo courts are just some of the disturbing, yet increasingly-used tactics of union boss intimidation that are all too common in states like Illinois where there is no Right to Work law on the books.”

The employees at the workplace have since decertified the Teamster union as their monopoly bargaining agent.

(Click here to see a copy of a Teamsters Local 731 strike fines notice in which Teamster union bosses claimed the power to use $40,000 worth of fines to discipline one of the non-striking employees.)

Hartford, Connecticut (May 19, 2009) – National Right to Work Foundation attorneys have successfully negotiated a settlement with the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 1103 union for Patricia Pelletier, a worker who was targeted by CWA operatives for a vicious campaign of retaliation after she attempted to remove the union from her workplace.

Connecticut’s lack of a Right to Work law compelled Pelletier, a Hartford-based employee of the Connecticut Student Loan Foundation, to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Dissatisfied with the union’s presence in her workplace, Pelletier exercised her legal right to circulate a decertification petition to eject the union. Her co-workers ultimately voted to remove the unpopular union, but CWA operatives responded by allegedly forging Pelletier’s signature on numerous magazine subscriptions and consumer product solicitations.

In her lawsuit, Pelletier also alleged that union officials planted cocaine in her office in an effort to have her fired.

Pelletier’s home was then flooded with hundreds of unwanted magazines and advertisements. Not only was Pelletier forced to spend several hours each day canceling individual subscriptions, she was also billed for thousands of dollars by unwitting magazine companies, jeopardizing her credit rating. Even after her lawsuit was filed, Pelletier still received excess mail from a variety of journals and magazines, and her name continued to be circulated through advertiser mailing lists across the country.

The 31-count suit brought by Foundation attorneys for Pelletier against CWA Local 1103 and four union officials alleged that CWA operatives committed identity theft, conspired to forge Pelletier’s signature, inflicted undue emotional distress on Pelletier and her family, and violated Connecticut’s Unfair Trade Practice Act by unlawfully retaliating against Pelletier for attempting to remove the union.

Although Foundation attorneys achieved a settlement that satisfies Pelletier, the terms of the settlement are confidential.

“We’re happy to report that after enduring a trying ordeal, Patricia Pelletier is finally getting a satisfactory resolution,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “No worker should be subjected to vicious union retaliation for exercising their rights in the workplace.”

Los Angeles, California (May 13, 2009) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, a Venice-based employee of Hesher Productions, LLC has filed unfair labor practice charges against the company and the International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE) Local 884 union for her illegal termination.

Mandy Diassellis was formerly employed as a studio teacher by Hesher Productions in Santa Monica. Thinking she had an obligation to do so, she tried to join IATSE Local 884, but she was refused membership and subsequently fired for not joining the union. The charges will now be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board.

Because California does not have a Right to Work law making union membership and dues payment voluntary, workers are routinely forced to pay union dues or lose their jobs. However, federal labor statutes do not impose a forced dues requirement until workers have been employed in the same bargaining unit for at least 30 days. Further, under federal law, when an employee is barred from union membership for a reason unrelated to nonpayment of dues, the union loses its special legal privilege to compel any dues payment whatsoever.

Diassellis was not a member of IATSE Local 884 and had not been employed by Hesher Productions for more than 30 days, and therefore could not yet be legally forced to pay union dues or join the union. However, Diassellis did attempt to join the union, not understanding that formal membership was not required by law, but was then rebuffed by IATSE union officials anyway. After rejecting her attempt to join the union, union officials ordered her employer to fire her for not having joined the union or paid dues.

The charges filed by Foundation attorneys seek the immediate reinstatement of Diassellis to her job, as well as payment of back pay owed her since the day she was fired.

“For whatever reasons, union bosses wanted Mandy Diassellis fired, and they flagrantly broke the law in doing so,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Union bosses in the entertainment industry have routinely ignored federal labor laws in an effort to maintain monopoly control of who is hired and who is fired. We intend to challenge and stop this flagrant violation of employee rights.”

Taxi Drivers Force Union to End Illegal Union-Dues Scheme

Union bosses illegally refused to allow drivers out of union membership, despite Nevada’s popular Right to Work law

Las Vegas, Nevada (May 13, 2009) — With free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a cab driver working for the largest taxi business in Las Vegas forced a local union’s bosses to back down after they refused to allow him and his coworkers to exercise their right to refrain from formal, dues-paying union membership.

Late last year, Fred Haeberle and some of his colleagues at the Nevada Yellow, Checker and Star Cab Corporations attempted to resign from formal, dues-paying union membership with the Industrial, Technical, and Professional Employees (ITPE) union – a local union of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), an AFL-CIO affiliate.

ITPE union bosses maliciously refused Haeberle’s request – saying he had “no standing” to assert his rights. Haeberle then turned to the National Right to Work Foundation for free legal aid.

(Continue reading this news release…)

Las Vegas, Nevada (May 13, 2009) – With free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a cab driver working for the largest taxi business in Las Vegas forced a local union’s bosses to back down after they refused to allow him and his coworkers to exercise their right to refrain from formal, dues-paying union membership.

Late last year, Fred Haeberle and some of his colleagues at the Nevada Yellow, Checker and Star Cab Corporations attempted to resign from formal, dues-paying union membership with the Industrial, Technical, and Professional Employees (ITPE) union – a local union of the Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), an AFL-CIO affiliate.

ITPE union bosses maliciously refused Haeberle’s request – saying he had “no standing” to assert his rights. Haeberle then turned to the National Right to Work Foundation for free legal aid.

In the Foundation-assisted Pattern Makers v. National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) United States Supreme Court case, the Court held that employees have the right to resign from union membership at any time. And Nevada’s Right to Work law prohibits union officials from compelling employees to join or pay dues to a union.

After Foundation attorneys filed a federal charge with the NLRB for Haeberle (and others similarly situated), the ITPE union acknowledged that Haeberle’s request indeed had standing, but still wrongly claimed that he had to wait until a designated “window period” of time in order to resign from union membership.

Only when the NLRB Regional Office seemed poised to prosecute the violations did ITPE union officials back away from this illegal “window period” policy. The threat of prosecution forced ITPE union officials to admit Haeberle’s original union membership resignation letter was indeed effective, and they agreed to settle. ITPE union bosses must also now post a notice stating that they will no longer deny workers of their right to refrain from union membership or use “window periods” to prevent workers from exercising their right to resign from formal union membership.

“Union bosses are interested in one thing, and one thing only: money,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of National Right to Work. “Workers should not have to get an attorney, nor face ugly union intimidation and stonewalling tactics, when they try to exercise their legal rights under Nevada’s popular Right to Work law.”

Houston, Texas (May 12, 2009) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, nurses at the Cypress Fairbanks Medical Center have filed a decertification petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to remove an unwanted union from their workplace.

The nurses’ decertification petition comes on the heels of the California Nurses Association (CNA) union’s decision to withdraw its controversial petitions for unionization at the Park Plaza and Houston Northwest medical centers. Hospital employees became increasingly disillusioned with union officials after many nurses raised concerns about conflict in the workplace and the quality of patient care.

The California Nurses Association union originally obtained its monopoly bargaining privileges at Cypress Fairbanks through a once-secret deal with Tenet Healthcare Corporation. Company officials agreed to provide union organizers with assistance as part of an “Election Procedures Agreement,” allowing CNA operatives to unionize the facility with relative ease.

The CNA-Tenet “Election Procedure Agreements” used in Houston and elsewhere typically included several provisions designed to quash anti-union dissent. Tenet managers were forbidden from answering hospital employees’ questions about unionization, and employees who opposed a union presence were prevented from using company facilities to express their views. CNA organizers, on the other hand, were given wide-ranging access to company grounds to facilitate unionization, as well as a list of employees’ home addresses.

The agreements between Tenet and the CNA also subverted the NLRB’s oversight role for workplace elections. Under the union’s scheme, the NLRB would merely count ballots and rubber stamp the union’s monopoly bargaining privileges instead of supervising the entire process.

After enduring a coercive CNA organizing campaign, nurses at Cypress Fairbanks filed an employee decertification petition to eject the union from their workplace. Once the NLRB confirms that the petition includes signatures from at least 30 percent of Cypress Fairbanks employees, federal administrators will supervise a secret-ballot election to determine whether the union hierarchy will retain its monopoly bargaining privileges.

“CNA operatives forced their union on these health care professionals using legally questionable tactics,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “We’re happy to report that these nurses will finally have their chance to send the CNA union bosses back to California.”

St. Louis, Missouri (April 29), 2009) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, a St. Louis-based AT&T employee has filed unfair labor practice charges challenging a local area union’s compulsory dues requirements.

Despite resigning her union membership in 2004, Jeanette Burton of Imperial, Missouri was never informed of her right to opt-out of union dues used for politics and other non-bargaining activities. When Burton attempted to exercise her right to stop paying dues, Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 6300 union officials ignored her objections and continued to collect full union dues from her paycheck.

Moreover, union officials continued to force Burton to pay dues after the union’s contract with AT&T expired in April 2009. The union’s previous agreement with AT&T contained a provision requiring nonmember employees to pay union dues for collective bargaining, but after the agreement lapsed, Burton could no longer be compelled to pay any dues to CWA officials.

CWA Local 6300 also failed to provide Burton with a federally-mandated audit of union financial expenditures, which is necessary to allow workers to determine whether they are being forced to pay more than can be required as a condition of employment.

Under the Foundation-won Supreme Court precedent Communication Workers v. Beck, nonmember employees can be forced to pay certain union dues as a condition of employment, but they cannot be compelled to pay for politics, lobbying, public relations, and other non-bargaining activities. Union officials are also legally obligated to inform workers of these rights.

The Foundation’s unfair labor practice charges seek an end to all unlawful union deductions and guarantees that the union hierarchy will comply with its Beck obligations and reimburse nonunion workers’ forced dues. The case will now be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board.

“Workers shouldn’t have to jump through legal hoops just to protect their hard-earned paychecks,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “The only way to stop future abuse is to pass a Missouri Right to Work law, making all union dues strictly voluntary.”

Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania (April 28, 2009) – National Right to Work Foundation attorneys today filed suit in United States District Court for an employee forced to pay agency fees by Teamsters officials at a Luzerne County government office.

The plaintiff, Jeffrey McCabe, is currently employed by the Luzerne County Office of Children and Youth Services. Although International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local Union 401 is the monopoly bargaining agent for McCabe’s office, McCabe never joined the union or consented to pay union dues.

Despite McCabe’s nonunion status, Teamsters officials failed to provide him with a federally-mandated breakdown of union expenditures and forced him to pay for union activities unrelated to collective bargaining. Teamsters officials also failed to give McCabe adequate notice of payroll deductions for forced agency fees, preventing him from challenging the Teamsters’ dues collections.

Under the Foundation-won Supreme Court precedent Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson, union officials are obligated to provide workers with an independent audit of union financial expenditures. Although employees may be forced to pay certain union dues as a condition of employment, they cannot be compelled to fund union activities unrelated to workplace bargaining. An independently-verified financial audit is required by law to ensure nonunion employees are not compelled to pay for non-bargaining activities.

The Foundation’s lawsuit seeks an immediate, court-ordered injunction to prevent further union paycheck deductions, a court order requiring the union to ensure workers have access to information on union expenditures, an order preventing the union from collecting dues unrelated to collective bargaining, and monetary damages for McCabe.

“Giving union officials free reign to deduct money from workers’ paychecks is an open invitation to abuse,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Enacting a Pennsylvania Right to Work law to make union dues fully voluntary is the only way to ensure employees are protected from avaricious union bosses.”

School Bus Drivers File Charges against AFSCME Union for Illegal Threats, Dues Collections

Lack of Right to Work law leads to ugly union abuse of workers

Indianapolis, IN (April 24, 2009)– With free legal aid from staff attorneys at the National Right to Work Foundation, three bus drivers have filed federal unfair labor practice charges against union bosses for an illegal scheme to bully nonmember employees into paying full union dues.

Barry Hickman, Connie Hickman, and Thomas Spencer II drive school buses for First Student, where they are forced to accept the “representation” of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 3826. In March and April 2008, Barry and Connie Hickman sent two letters each to AFSCME Council 62, the regional body which handles the local’s objection policy, objecting to pay for non-bargaining costs they could not be required to financially support. Spencer sent a similar objection letter in May.

Because Indiana is not yet a Right to Work state, nonmembers may be fired from their jobs for refusal to pay compulsory fees to a union with which they want nothing to do. However, union officials may not lawfully compel nonmembers to pay for activities like political activism, lobbying, and member-only events.

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Read the full release here.