Pleasanton, California (March 23, 2012) – A Kaiser Pleasanton Clinic nurse has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against a local union for violating her rights.

With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, Donna Von der Lieth of San Ramon filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Von der Lieth sent a letter to California Nurses Association (CNA) union officials resigning from formal union membership and invoked her right to refrain from paying full union dues in September 2011. However, because CNA union officials enjoy monopoly bargaining privileges over her workplace, and because California does not have state Right to Work protections for its workers, Von der Lieth is forced to accept CNA union officials’ “representation” and pay union fees as a condition of employment.

When resigning from formal union membership, Von der Lieth exercised her rights upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Foundation’s Communications Workers of America v. Beck (1988) case. In Beck, the Court determined that union officials cannot compel nonmembers to pay the portion of union dues used for the union’s political, lobbying, and member-only activities. Additionally, union officials are required to provide adequate financial disclosure of union expenditures to inform workers who refrain from union membership of how their forced dues are being spent.

In Von der Lieth’s September 2011 letter, she requested union officials provide the legally-required breakdown of union expenditures. Union officials have refused to provide the adequate disclosure to ensure Von der Leith is fully aware of the amount of forced union fees the CNA union hierarchy can legally confiscate from her paycheck.

“Even though union officials often refuse to acknowledge their rights, honest hard-working nurses such as Von der Lieht are still forced to pay union dues and fees as a condition of employment,” said Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work. “Union bosses will continue to take workers’ hard-earned money while disrespecting their rights until California passes Right to Work protections for its workers.”

“Only then will it be less difficult for rank-and-file workers to hold union bosses accountable for forced unionism abuses such as this case,” added Mix.

Twenty-three states have Right to Work protections for its workers. Recent public polling shows that 80 percent of Americans and 80 percent of union members support the Right to Work principle of voluntary unionism.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.