Virginia

"The Only Good Scab is a Dead Scab"

Justin Hakes — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 14:30:44 -0400

That's what one person commented on YouTube about our latest video. Though sad, the sentiment is indicative of the mind set that led to such hostility against the employees in the video that simply exercised their Right to Work.

Unfortunately, history shows that it gets even worse.

Video: Employees Suffer Broken Windows, Slashed Tires, and Stalking for Refusing to Strike

Justin Hakes — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 17:13:56 -0400

View a new video by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation about the often brutal intimidation that employees face for exercising their Right to Work.

Sadly, while these employees suffered greatly, others often face far worse retaliation for refusing to walk off the job during a strike.

Photos Show Nails in Employee's Driveway, Tobacco Juice on Windshield (Warning: Graphic)

Justin Hakes — Mon, 24 Mar 2008 14:36:24 -0400

Additional photos documenting earlier reported incidents of retaliation against employees of Volvo who kept working during a recent UAW union strike have surfaced.

Here, an employee finally gained the ability to press charges against a union operative for spitting tobacco juice all over her windshield after contacting the National Right to Work Foundation.

And here are just a couple of several hundred nails the very same employee found in her driveway before heading out to work one morning.

Photo Surfaces: Volvo Employee's Smashed Out Car Window...More to Come...

Justin Hakes — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 13:33:26 -0400

One Volvo employee's car windows were smashed out in the dead of night, even though he parked his car near his home under a spotlight because he feared retaliation for refusing to strike. Many such photos have surfaced, and we plan to have them online as soon as possible. The National Right to Work Foundation is continuing to act on behalf of employees during the fallout from this strike.

read more

Volvo Employee to Press Charges Against Picketer

Justin Hakes — Tue, 18 Mar 2008 12:37:41 -0400

Though it's pretty PG-rated compared to what else has gone on around the UAW strike in Virginia, a local employee called in to say that she has been allowed to press charges against a UAW picketer for spitting tobacco onto her car windshield and obstructing her view.

Late Night Phone Call "Congratulates" Worker

Justin Hakes — Mon, 17 Mar 2008 13:27:07 -0400

When the Volvo strike that we've covered heavily over the past week came to an end Saturday, one non-striking Volvo employee reports that she received an anonymous "congratulatory" phone call late that night.

When the employee answered the phone, the caller reported the tally of the vote to end the strike and reportedly said:

"Congratulations, you f***ing scab!"

It's because of such hostility that the National Right to Work Foundation again acted on behalf of employees in the area today, seeking information about employee reports that police refused to protect them from union vandalism and harassment.

Reported Reprisals Flooding In from Volvo Employees

Justin Hakes — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 13:43:10 -0400

In case you missed it yesterday, the National Right to Work Foundation is asking for an investigation into reports from employees that local police may have turned a blind eye to union harassment of non-striking workers at Volvo in Pulaski County, Virginia.

Meanwhile, employees continue to contact us with stories of what's been going on during the strike. Some employees report that in addtion to what has already been reported, they believe that union operatives have stalked them, collected their license plate numbers, and slashed their tires.

Again, employees seeking free legal aid can contact the Foundation toll-free at (800) 336-3600.

More on Volvo Strike: Coffin at Union Hall Reads "All Scabs Welcome Here"

Justin Hakes — Wed, 12 Mar 2008 10:52:22 -0400

(Photo by Larry Middleton)

More reports of alleged union inimidation of employees during a strike at Volvo near Roanoke, Virginia, are pouring out today, including a news story by WDBJ-TV. The video report also shows a makeshift coffin put up outside the union hall with an arrow pointing into it and reading "All Scabs Welcome Here."

The report also quotes several employees:

"I expected them to call me a scab. I expected that," says Volvo worker Dreama Domniguez. "What I didn't expect was some of the men that I sorta admired, thought they were descent people, to grope themselves as I drove by."

read more

Non-Striking Volvo Employees Find Nails in Driveways, "Scab" Signs in Front Yards, Broken Car Window

Justin Hakes — Tue, 11 Mar 2008 16:41:00 -0400

Think that union intimidation is a thing of the past? You might think again.

WSLS-TV out of Roanoke, Virginia, shows in a video report that nonunion Volvo employees in the Roanoke, Virginia, area claim they're being singled out for continuing to work during a United Auto Workers union-ordered strike.

Multiple reports of nails in employees' driveways, sugar in the gas tank of a car, "scab live here" signs in their yards, and a broken window of one of a worker's car have surfaced. One worker also reported being followed home after work.

While the local UAW union head says "I don't know if it did happen or didn't happen..." it's a disgrace if employees are being singled out simply for going to work.

Any employee wanting to know their rights should immediately contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation toll-free at 1-800-336-3600 or email legal@nrtw.org.

AFL-CIO Trainee Admits: Right to Work Makes Unions More Accountable to Workers

Patrick Semmens — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 11:17:51 -0400

In a paper union officials will undoubtedly ignore, Michael Oswalt, a graduate of the AFL-CIO’s “Law Student Union Summer” program, observed an obvious truth: unions in Right to Work states are more accountable to their members because they have to be.

Citing AFL-CIO founder Samuel Gomper’s own opposition of forced unionism, Oswalt writes that “simple logic” shows that when forced dues are eliminated union officials must be more accountable to the concerns of individual members:

Indeed, simple logic suggests that when dues are guaranteed, attentive member servicing may not be, cultivating a frustrated and apathetic rank and file. The right-to-work environment, alternatively, stands in sharp relief. Where dues are linked to member satisfaction, leadership’s responsiveness embodies a special urgency…

In other words, if Oswalt’s former bosses at the AFL-CIO were really concerned with what is best for rank-and-file workers, they would support a National Right to Work Act.