Legal Aid Lawyer Hits Union and NYLAG With Charges for Religious Discrimination and Labor Law Violations
Employer and union officials ignored request for religious accommodation and seized union dues in violation of lawyer’s Jewish faith
New York, NY (December 9, 2025) – Felicia Gaon, a legal aid attorney for the New York Legal Assistance Group (NYLAG), has just filed federal charges against both NYLAG and the Association of Legal Advocates and Attorneys (ALAA)/United Auto Workers (UAW) unions for religious discrimination, failure to accommodate her religion, and unlawful deductions of dues. Gaon maintains that both ALAA and NYLAG officials ignored her requests for a religious accommodation from the requirement that she pay union dues as a condition of her employment. Instead, they illegally seized money from her paycheck without her authorization. Gaon is receiving free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation.
Gaon filed parallel sets of charges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), the agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law in the private sector, and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), which prosecutes discrimination in the workplace. Gaon notes in her charges that she is “an Orthodox Jew with strong familial and religious ties to the Nation and Land of Israel” and her faith “prevents [her] from joining or financially supporting a union that directly or indirectly supports the destruction and annihilation of the Jewish people and the Jewish state.” She reports to have never signed any union membership or dues-deduction-authorization documents since beginning work for NYLAG.
UAW Unions and NYLAG Have Obligations to Provide Religious Exemption to Union Dues Payment
New York lacks Right to Work protections for its private-sector employees, meaning that union officials can impose contract provisions that require workers to pay union fees or be fired. However, Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 mandates that both union officials and employers provide reasonable accommodations to workers who submit sincere religious objections to financially supporting a labor union. The National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) also forbids seizing dues money directly from employees’ paychecks without their written authorization.
Gaon’s charges state that, shortly after NYLAG hired her, she submitted a letter to the treasurers of both the ALAA and the UAW “explain[ing] my religious faith and how it prevented me from joining or financially supporting the Unions…My letter also placed NYLAG on notice of my need for a religious accommodation.”
However, her charges note that after Gaon received her first paycheck, “[it] showed that NYLAG had deducted union dues and initiation fees.” Gaon subsequently retained Foundation staff attorneys and sent letters to officials of NYLAG, the UAW, and the ALAA, asking them to refund the money that they illegally seized from her paycheck and to stop all further deductions from her paycheck while her request for a religious accommodation is being processed.
NYLAG Management Illegally Seized Dues Again After Worker Made Valid Request
Aside from a token acknowledgment of her request, Gaon’s charges note that she has not received any other communication from her employer or a union official regarding the religious accommodation. And after she sent her letter, NYLAG once again deducted full union dues from her paycheck. By seizing dues illegally from her wages, Gaon’s charges argue, both union bosses and NYLAG management “discriminated against my religious beliefs” and “failed to accommodate my religion.” Union officials and her employer have never laid out any way in which she can be accommodated going forward.
“Ms. Gaon’s case shows the damaging reality of forced unionism: Union bosses often push extreme and divisive political agendas rather than focus on being constructive and effective in the workplace,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “This has horrendous results for religious workers, who often must obtain legal help to battle both union bosses and management to exercise what limited rights they have to disassociate from a union. Even then, current law forces them to be ‘represented’ by union bosses whose ideology they find abhorrent, demeaning, and unconscionable.
“Foundation attorneys have successfully defended many employees and graduate students against being forced to fund union bosses who push positions that violate their beliefs,” Mix added. “Workers should be free to say ‘no’ to funding union bosses they oppose for any reason, religious or otherwise, which is why every American deserves the protection of a Right to Work law.”
WV Quarry Workers Win Freedom from Unwanted Boilermakers Union
National Labor Board revokes union’s monopoly status after union officials disclaim interest due to overwhelming worker support for decertification
Harpers Ferry, WV (December 5, 2025) – Holcim Millville Quarry employees are officially free from International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) Local DNCL union officials after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Regional Director of Region 5 revoked the certification of the IBB as the workers monopoly “representative.”
The NLRB’s decision comes after IBB bosses “disclaimed interest” in the work unit, which followed a majority of workers signing a petition last month, asking the NLRB to hold a secret ballot election to “decertify” IBB union bosses as the workers exclusive representative. That petition was filed by quarry employee Curtis Mills with free legal representation from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
The NLRB is the federal agency tasked with enforcing federal labor law and with adjudicating disputes between employers, unions, and individual workers.
Mills petition was signed by a majority of the approximately 36 workers in the bargaining unit. The election, close to being scheduled, would have taken place among all the drivers, loaders, maintenance, and laborers at the Millville Quarry Harpers Ferry, WV, facility.
IBB officials faced with the reality that most workers wanted nothing to do with the union, decided to avoid the embarrassment of a formal vote by a majority of workers against the union, and disclaimed their status as the workers’ so-called representative.
“For the first time in a long time we are thrilled with the union’s decision,” commented Mills. “We are glad to have been able to reclaim our workplace.”
West Virginia is one of 26 states with Right to Work protections that ensure union affiliation and dues payment are fully voluntary. However, even in Right to Work states, union officials can impose exclusive bargaining control upon all workers within a workplace, even those who oppose the union.
“The Foundation is pleased to have played a part in helping Mills and his colleagues achieve their desired outcome in so short a time,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Unfortunately, the experience of many other independent-minded workers is less streamlined, as the combination of union legal tactics and an NLRB that has created numerous non-statutory rules to undermine decertification efforts makes it frequently difficult to even get an election scheduled.
“Workers facing such circumstances should know the Foundation is here to assist them, because no worker should be trapped in union boss ‘representation’ they oppose,” added Mix.
Viking Corporation Employee Slams Steelworkers Union With Federal Charges for “Closed Shop” Firing Threats
Charge: Steelworkers officials’ unlawful dues scheme to automatically deduct money from worker paychecks to support union politicking
Hastings, MI (December 4, 2025) – Kristen Dickinson, an employee of fire sprinkler manufacturer The Viking Corporation, has just hit the Steelworkers union at her workplace with federal unfair labor practice charges. Dickinson filed her charges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The charges detail that Steelworkers union officials are unlawfully characterizing Viking as a “closed shop,” where formal union membership is required to avoid termination. The charges further state that union bosses are mandating direct dues deductions from workers’ paychecks as a condition of staying employed.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for adjudicating federal labor law, a task that includes adjudicating disputes between employers, union officials, and individual employees. Although the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) permits union officials in states without Right to Work protections (like Michigan) to enforce contracts that require workers to pay union fees or be fired, U.S. Supreme Court cases like General Motors v. NLRB ban “closed shop” arrangements where formal membership is required to work. Another Supreme Court case, the Foundation-won CWA v. Beck ruling, also established that union bosses can’t compel workers who abstain from formal membership into paying dues for union political expenses.
Federal labor law also forbids requiring workers to authorize direct paycheck deduction of union dues or fees. This means that even when some forced fees can be required, workers retain the option to pay by other methods, like via mailed check. Up until February 2024, Michigan was a Right to Work state, in which all union financial support was the voluntary choice of each individual worker.
Requiring Formal Union Membership Is Still Illegal, Even in Non-Right to Work Michigan
“Steelworkers union bosses are just interested in gaining more power over us and our pocketbooks,” commented Dickinson. “If they really believe they are doing right by us, they shouldn’t feel the need to force everybody to join or trick people into supporting the union’s politics, yet that’s exactly what they’re doing.”
Dickinson’s charges recount that union officials began circulating documents among workers in August, giving them September deadlines to turn in union “checkoff” authorization cards that would permit direct dues deductions from their paychecks. The union documents alleged that workers had to do this “to be in compliance with new contractual closed shop language” (emphasis added).
When Dickinson emailed a Viking HR representative for clarification on her obligations, the HR rep claimed that “Per the new Michigan [Right to Work repeal] law and the Contract…those employees who do not sign the check-off authorization card, will not be allowed to work at Viking.” Dickinson’s charges include a charge against Viking management for repeating the misrepresentations of union officials.
Dickinson’s charges also maintain that Steelworkers union bosses “violated the NLRA because [they] demanded that Charging Party, and all similarly situated nonmember discriminatees, opt-out of paying for political and ideological activities, instead of opting-in to make such political and ideological payments.” Supreme Court precedent, including the Foundation-won Knox v. SEIU case, establish the principle that union officials cannot assume that workers have waived their right to abstain from funding union politics.
“Just because Michigan legislators gave into union political pressure and rammed through a party-line repeal of Michigan’s popular Right to Work law does not mean that union bosses can make any demands of workers that they want,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Michigan workers still have the right to abstain from membership and union political support, and should contact Foundation attorneys immediately if they experience any pushback in their exercise of those rights.”
Majority of Dallas Penske Leasing Workers Request Vote to Remove Teamsters Local 745
In last year, several groups of Penske employees across the country have sought to escape coercive union control
Dallas, TX (December 2, 2025) – A majority of employees at Penske Truck Leasing’s facility in the Redbird neighborhood of Dallas are demanding a vote to remove Teamsters Local 745 union officials from power at their workplace. Penske employee Epifanio Hernandez submitted a union “decertification petition” backed by his colleagues to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions in workplaces. By law, the NLRB should administer a decertification election if an employee submits a petition in which at least 30% of his coworkers demand such an election. Hernandez’s decertification petition contained signatures from a majority of his coworkers, well exceeding that threshold.
Texas is a Right to Work state, meaning that Teamsters union officials cannot enforce union contracts that force Hernandez and his coworkers to pay union dues or fees to keep their jobs. In non-Right to Work states, union bosses can get workers fired for refusing to financially support union activities. However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work states, union officials can wield exclusive “representation” power over every employee in a workplace, unless the union is decertified.
“I support decertifying the Teamsters union because the union isn’t benefiting us the way it should,” commented Hernandez. “The union rules aren’t beneficial to everyone, and instead of helping us progress, they end up holding many of us back. We deserve the freedom to exercise our own rights, speak for ourselves, and make decisions that reflect what we actually want — not what the union decides for us.”
Texas Penske Workers Join Wider Opposition to Teamsters Officials & Other Union Bosses
In just the last year, Foundation staff attorneys have helped several groups of Penske employees around the country break free from unwanted union control. These have included Penske workers in Minneapolis and Nashville, who last year overwhelmingly voted to oust International Association of Machinists (IAM) union bosses. In December 2024, Philadelphia-area Penske Logistics workers also voted to remove Teamsters Local 500 union officials.
Teamsters union officials’ workplace actions and political activity have also come under increased worker scrutiny recently. During the 2024 election cycle, the union’s upper echelon chose not to endorse Donald Trump because he would not commit to eliminating Right to Work and granting forced-dues power to union bosses nationwide. Teamsters top officials’ prioritizing of their forced-dues powers comes despite polls showing nearly 80% of American union members support Right to Work and voluntary union dues.
Foundation staff attorneys have also noticed a marked rise in requests from workers seeking legal assistance in Teamsters decertification cases. Recent NLRB statistics also suggest no union faces more decertification petitions than the Teamsters.
“It seems that hardly a week goes by without Teamsters union officials showing how out-of-touch they are with the workers they claim to ‘represent,’” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “We’re proud to support the growing number of workers engaged in the transportation and trucking industries who are standing up for their interests in the workplace.”
Special Legal Notice Notifies Temporary/Seasonal Employees of Legal Rights When Faced With Union Dues Demands
National Right to Work Foundation defended seasonal UPS worker who received $0 paycheck after Teamsters bosses illegally took full dues from wages
Washington, DC (November 25, 2025) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has published a special legal notice for workers in transportation, retail, foodservice, and other industries who have been hired temporarily to meet demand during the 2025 holiday season. The notice reminds seasonal workers that, in many cases, they have no legal obligation to formally join a union or pay union dues, even if union bosses demand that they do so.
The notice also provides contact information for the Foundation’s staff attorneys so temporary workers can obtain free legal assistance in exercising their right to be free of unwanted union affiliation. In one instance, Foundation attorneys aided a Stockton, CA, seasonal UPS worker, who received a paycheck for $0 after UPS management deducted full union dues from his paycheck at the behest of Teamsters union officials.
The full notice is available here https://www.nrtw.org/holiday/.
“Retailers, package delivery companies, restaurants, and other companies often hire temporary workers during the Holiday Season,” the notice reads. “Knowing that many of these workers may be unaware of their right not to join a union, union officials often deceive temporary workers into believing they must join or pay dues to the union to keep their jobs… Employees have a right not to be members of unions.”
Even in States Lacking Right to Work Protections, Seasonal Employees Can Avoid Forced Dues
In the 26 states that have Right to Work protections, there is no obligation for private sector employees to join or pay dues to a union as a condition of staying employed. The 24 states that lack Right to Work protections let union officials enforce contracts that require workers to pay dues or be fired, even workers who abstain from membership. However, the notice explains, “even in a state that lacks Right to Work protections, if you are working for LESS THAN 30 DAYS on the job, you cannot be legally obligated to pay union fees.”
The notice also urges temporary workers not to sign any documents authorizing union membership or permitting union officials to deduct dues directly out of their wages, explaining that forcing a worker to sign either kind of document is illegal. Finally, the notice encourages seasonal employees to reach out immediately to the Foundation’s legal team if they encounter pressure from their employer or union officials or have questions about their situation.
“Seasonal workers should be commended for stepping up to make the holidays run smoothly. But in the hustle and bustle they shouldn’t forget about their individual rights,” observed National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Union bosses may use the holiday rush as their opportunity to trap delivery drivers, shelf stockers, and many others in union membership and dues deductions without them even noticing. But the Foundation’s legal notice provides vital information so they can be on guard against such illegal demands.
“Many Americans pick up extra jobs this time of year to put a little extra money in their pocket for the holidays, which makes it especially outrageous when union grinches mislead workers into paying dues money in violation of their rights,” Mix added. “Seasonal employees should not hesitate to contact the Foundation if they believe they are being forced to fund or otherwise associate with an unwanted union in violation of their legal rights.”
National Right to Work Foundation Sues UCLA Over Public Records Request for Union “Strategic Research” Workshops
UCLA administrators have stonewalled requests regarding taxpayer-funded events designed to expand Big Labor’s forced-dues ranks
Los Angeles, CA (November 20, 2025) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has just filed a lawsuit against the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). The case challenges the university’s failure to produce public records regarding two conferences promoting aggressive union campaign tactics. Foundation attorneys filed the lawsuit in the Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday.
The Foundation litigates hundreds of cases each year for working men and women who face abuses of their individual rights due to compulsory unionism. Foundation cases often involve men and women who want to resist unionization campaigns at their workplaces, but face intimidation, threats, and other coercion from union officials and other union operatives.
Both events about which the Foundation requested information dealt with so-called “strategic research,” a tactic that “prioritizes gathering targeted information” to find new businesses and workers on which to launch unionization campaigns or other campaigns. The events, titled the “UCLA Strategic Labor Research Conference” and “Private Equity Research Strategies,” both had heavy political overtones as well, with the former drawing attendees “working outside labor in adjacent social movements, like climate change, food justice and housing,” according to UCLA’s website. Both gatherings took place between April and August of 2024.
Union officials wield significant influence at UCLA. Currently, the university is subject to at least 16 union monopoly bargaining contracts, including with the powerful United Auto Workers (UAW), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), and other unions.
According to the complaint, the Foundation submitted public records requests for documents, presentation materials, speaker information, and related items for both events on August 18, 2025. UCLA public records staff acknowledged the requests promptly, but have delayed any substantive response.
Notably, the Foundation’s requests are similar to requests made by others about the same events near the beginning of 2025. As the lawsuit points out, this means UCLA officials should have compiled and produced these documents earlier this year. Their failure to produce the documents to the Foundation in late 2025 shows the officials have ignored their legal obligation under the California Public Records Act for nearly a year now.
“The CPRA requires that an agency produce records responsive to a request made by a member of the public promptly, and Defendants’ conduct constitutes an unlawful and bad-faith delay in violation of this statutory duty,” the complaint says. “Through this unjustified delay, Respondents have denied Petitioner access to responsive public records without legal basis.”
Section 6258 of the California Government Code authorizes declarative or injunctive relief for those who wish to enforce their right to inspect or receive a public record.
“Poll after poll shows that Americans overwhelmingly oppose forcing workers to pay union dues as a condition of employment. So it is outrageous that taxpayers appear to be funding conferences specifically designed to coordinate how to expand union bosses’ forced-dues ranks,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “The public deserves to know what kind of tactics – and potentially radical political activity – the UCLA administration is using taxpayer dollars to promote, as well as what role union officials have in pushing their agenda at one of the nation’s largest public college campuses.”
After Year-Long Effort, McDowell County Commission on Aging Employees Free Themselves From SEIU Union Bosses
Majority of employees signed petition demanding Commission stop bargaining with SEIU; success follows months of union stonewalling
Welch, WV (November 14, 2025) – Following an effort lasting more than a year, employees of senior homecare nonprofit McDowell County Commission on Aging have successfully freed themselves from the control of Service Employees International Union (SEIU) 1199 officials. Commission employee John Reeves spearheaded the union removal effort with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The success follows Reeves’ submission of a petition in which the majority of his fellow employees demanded that their employer stop recognizing the SEIU as their exclusive “representative.” Reeves submitted the petition to Commission management in late October. Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), an employer may not engage in bargaining with union officials that lack majority support in a workplace. Commission management announced on November 4 that they had withdrawn recognition from the SEIU union.
West Virginia is a Right to Work state, meaning that union officials cannot enforce contracts that require workers to pay dues or be fired. In contrast, in states like neighboring Pennsylvania and Ohio that lack Right to Work protections, union officials can mandate dues or fees as a condition of getting or keeping a job. However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work states, union bosses have exclusive representation power over every worker in a unionized workplace, even those who voted against or otherwise oppose the union.
SEIU Officials Used Litigation to Block Workers From Voting
The effort by Commission employees to oust SEIU union bosses started back in June 2024, when Reeves submitted a union decertification petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions.
Commission management and SEIU chiefs agreed to the terms of a union decertification vote, which Reeves and his coworkers participated in on July 9, 2024. However, NLRB officials held up the ballot count, claiming that SEIU officials had unfair labor practice charges pending against Commission management.
After six months of delays, Commission officials and SEIU union bosses announced they had reached a settlement in the unfair labor practice case – but a provision of that settlement stipulated that they would “not entertain a new decertification for a…period of four months.” A regional NLRB official approved this settlement in its entirety, effectively tossing out Reeves’ and his coworkers’ ballots. Reeves urged the NLRB in Washington, DC, to reverse this decision, as the regional NLRB had never proven the alleged unfair labor practices, nor had the Commission admitted to them in the settlement.
As of November 2025, Reeves’ appeal was still pending, but he and his coworkers have now successfully removed the union through a different process.
“Mr. Reeves’ and his coworkers’ situation shows that, in practice, NLRB bureaucrats will frequently stifle workers’ rights simply to advance the interests of union officials or management,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “That is antithetical to the overarching purpose of federal labor law, which is to protect workers’ free choice, not protect incumbent union bosses’ power.
“Currently, the union decertification process is overly complex and prone to legal manipulation, delays, and derailment,” Mix added. “It is in dire need of reform, and both the NLRB and federal legislators have a role to play to prevent workers from being trapped under union so-called ‘representation’ opposed by a majority of employees.”
Legal Notice Informs AA Flight Attendants of Rights Regarding APFA Union Dues Increase & Termination Threats Over Dues
Special Legal Notice informs American Airlines flight attendants of their legal rights, offers legal aid to those threatened by APFA union officials over dues
Dallas, TX (November 13, 2025) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has released a special legal notice to tens of thousands of American Airlines flight attendants. The notice comes as officials of the Association of Professional Flight Attendants (APFA) have reportedly increased dues by nearly 50% while also having multiple American Airlines flight attendants terminated for non-payment, and threatened others with termination if they didn’t pay thousands in union dues.
The full notice is available here: https://www.nrtw.org/AAunion/.
The Foundation’s legal notice informs flights attendants of their rights, including that union membership is not compulsory and that flight attendants have a right to pay reduced fees to the union. The notice suggests American Airlines employees who have been terminated for not paying union dues, or who are being threatened with such termination, reach out to the Foundation so that a Foundation attorney can evaluate their situation and advise them of their rights and options.
“The situation raises real concerns for employees who have had or could have their livelihoods upended solely for failing to bankroll APFA union bosses’ increasingly costly expenditures,” the legal notice reads. “That is why workers faced with threats for not paying union dues frequently contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to learn how to defend their rights and their livelihoods.”
The Foundation’s special legal notice highlights flight attendants’ right to resign their union membership, and provides guidance on best practices for doing so. Because flight attendants are subject to the Railway Labor Act, the notice also highlights their right to pay reduced union dues.
Finally, the notice provides helpful information for removing the union by using a decertification petition to obtain a National Mediation Board-administered secret ballot election.
Workers Can Receive Free Legal Aid and Avoid Illegal Union Retaliation
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is the nation’s premier organization exclusively dedicated to providing free legal assistance to employees victimized by forced-unionism abuse. The Foundation has a long history of defending workers against unlawful actions by union officials. Foundation staff attorneys have represented airline employees before, challenging union officials’ overreach and violations of workers’ constitutionally protected rights.
“We would like all American Airlines flight attendants to be aware of their federal labor rights and to know that the Foundation is a resource at their disposal to question and challenge the often misleading claims of union bosses who would like to keep workers in the dark,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Forcing employees to pay tribute to a union boss or else be fired is just plain wrong, and the Foundation stands ready to assist those currently being targeted by dues-hungry APFA union bosses.”
WV Millville Quarry Workers File Petition to Oust International Brotherhood of Boilermakers Local DNCL Union Bosses
Majority of Harpers Ferry quarry workers support petition seeking end of union monopoly “representation”
Harpers Ferry, WV (November 10, 2025) – With the support of a majority of his coworkers, Holcim Millville Quarry employee Curtis Mills has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a “decertification” election to end International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) Local DNCL union officials’ monopoly “representation” powers. The petition was filed with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act, a task that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions.
Mills’ petition, which was signed by a majority of approximately 36 workers in the bargaining unit, is requesting that the NLRB hold a secret ballot election for all the drivers, loaders, maintenance, and laborers at the Millville Quarry Harpers Ferry, WV, facility to oust IBB Local DNCL union officials from their workplace.
“Many of us are not happy with the union and feel it is time for a change to reclaim our voices,” commented Mills. “Though the NLRB is currently closed, we hope they will open soon so we can exercise our right to vote out this unwanted union.”
West Virginia is one of the 26 states with a Right to Work law that guarantees workers cannot be fired for refusing to pay union dues or fees. However, even under Right to Work, union bosses can still impose monopoly bargaining control over all employees in a workplace, even those who are opposed to the union’s representation. A successful decertification would end the union’s monopoly bargaining powers.
The decertification petition is just the latest example in a long history of the Foundation defending the rights of West Virginia workers. For example, Foundation staff attorneys filed 10 briefs in a long-running, but ultimately unsuccessful, union boss lawsuit seeking to overturn West Virginia’s popular Right to Work law.
In the West Virginia Supreme Court’s unanimous ruling in the case upholding the Right to Work law, the justices relied heavily upon the Foundation-won Janus v. AFSCME U.S. Supreme Court decision, which established that all public employees in America enjoy Right to Work protections under the First Amendment.
“Mills and his coworkers have filed a majority-backed petition to free themselves from union officials’ so-called ‘representation,’ but ejecting an unwanted union is often far harder than it should be,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Overly complex rules, including NLRB-invented ‘bars’ to decertification, contribute to the fact that a recent study found that just one in 20 employees has ever voted for the union that purports to represent them.
“The Foundation is proud to assist a growing number of workers seeking to throw off the chains of unions they oppose,” added Mix. “Ultimately, though, full worker freedom will only be accomplished when no worker anywhere can be forced under a union monopoly against their will.”
Breakthru Beverage Workers Across Florida Seek Vote to Oust Teamsters Union
Drivers in work unit spanning six cities sign petition asking federal labor board to hold union removal vote
Florida (November 6, 2025) – Across Florida, drivers for beverage distributor Breakthru Beverages are supporting a petition that asks the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a vote to remove Teamsters union officials from several distribution facilities. Breakthru driver Tim Zulinki submitted the petition to the NLRB with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions in workplaces. Zulinki obtained signatures on his decertification petition well exceeding the necessary threshold to trigger a secret ballot election. Breakthru employs drivers at distribution centers in Jacksonville, Midway, Pensacola, Orlando, Fort Myers, and Tampa.
Florida is a Right to Work state, meaning Teamsters union officials cannot demand that Breakthru drivers pay union dues as a condition of getting or keeping a job. In states that lack Right to Work protections, union officials can have workers fired for refusal to pay dues or fees to a union. Though forced dues are prohibited in Florida and other Right to Work states, union officials can still impose their exclusive “representation” powers on every worker in a workplace, including those who oppose the union or voted against it.
Now the NLRB will examine the petition and should schedule an election quickly. If Zulinki and a majority of those participating in the decertification election vote against the Teamsters, hundreds of Breakthru drivers across the Sunshine State will be free from Teamsters union officials’ exclusive representation power.
Drivers Back Union Removal Effort After Months-Long Strike Ordered by Teamsters Bosses
In June, Teamsters union bosses ordered Breakthru drivers on strike. The strike order ended at the close of October, as union officials announced that they and Breakthru management had finalized a new contract. Zulinki submitted his decertification petition just before the contract became effective – which is crucial timing considering the NLRB’s non-statutory “contract bar” policy normally blocks workers from filing decertification petitions for up to three years after a contract is approved. The contract bar appears nowhere in the text of federal labor law, but is the invention of union boss-friendly NLRB decisions.
Teamsters union officials have a track record of supporting agendas that are opposed by the workers they claim to represent. During the 2024 election cycle, the union’s upper echelon chose not to endorse Donald Trump because he would not commit to eliminating Right to Work and granting forced dues power to union bosses nationwide. Nearly 80% of American union members back Right to Work.
National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys have also seen a marked rise in requests from workers seeking legal assistance in Teamsters decertification cases.
“Sean O’Brien & Co.’s propaganda about the Teamsters union’s supposed ‘victory’ across Florida after the Breakthru strike is being contradicted by rank-and-file workers in real time,” observed National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Mr. Zulinki and his coworkers want freedom from the Teamsters hierarchy, which is increasingly proving to be radical and out-of-touch with what workers want.
“While Florida provides important protections for independent-minded workers through its Right to Work law, ultimately no worker should be subject to union monopoly bargaining control they disagree with,” Mix added.
