National Civil Rights Group: Today’s AFL-CIO Endorsement a Slap in the Face to Dissenting Employees

Springfield, VA (February 19, 2004) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation today announced that it would provide free legal assistance to employees seeking to reclaim the portion of their compulsory union dues spent by union officials on electoral politics and other activities unrelated to collective bargaining.

Stefan Gleason, vice president of the national employee rights advocacy organization said:

“The AFL-CIO endorsement is a slap in the face to more than 11 million American workers forced to pay over $8 billion a year in compulsory union dues just to keep their jobs. The misuse of over $800 million dollars in mostly forced union dues by union officials to elect their handpicked candidates in this election cycle represents the most egregious corruption of the American political system today.

“As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is both sinful and tyrannical.’”

“Although nearly 40% of union members consistently vote against Big Labor candidates, the AFL-CIO brass are thumbing their noses at these rank-and-file workers. In fact, polls have shown that more than 60% of AFL-CIO members do not support any use of dues on electioneering.

“While Big Labor may not be able to deliver the actual votes of rank-and-file workers to their candidates of choice, union officials will pump millions of forced-dues dollars into boiler room phone banks, hand over paid union staff to campaigns, orchestrate literature drops, and offer countless other in-kind contributions to campaigns.

“Therefore the Foundation stands willing to provide free legal assistance to any worker that seeks to recover forced union dues misspent for political activities.”