Bank Employee Wins Settlement After AFSCME Union Bosses Illegally Seized Forced Dues for Politics
Bank Employee Wins Settlement After AFSCME Union Bosses Illegally Seized Forced Dues for Politics
Wisconsin needs Right to Work law to protect workers from forced unionism abuses
Milwaukee, WI (May 31, 2011) – A U.S. Bank customer service and support employee reached a settlement with local union officials last week after union officials illegally attempted to force him and his colleagues into full-dues-paying union membership.
Peter Quinones of Milwaukee filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 777 union officials in March with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation.
After AFSCME Local 777 union bosses were granted monopoly bargaining privileges over approximately 300 U.S. Bank employees, Quinones sent a letter to union officials stating that he was exercising his right under National Right to Work Foundation-won Supreme Court precedent in Communication Workers v. Beck to refrain from full-dues-paying union membership.
Bank Employee Wins Settlement After AFSCME Union Bosses Illegally Seized Forced Dues for Politics
Milwaukee, WI (May 31, 2011) – A U.S. Bank customer service and support employee reached a settlement with local union officials last week after union officials illegally attempted to force him and his colleagues into full-dues-paying union membership.
Peter Quinones of Milwaukee filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 777 union officials in March with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation.
After AFSCME Local 777 union bosses were granted monopoly bargaining privileges over approximately 300 U.S. Bank employees, Quinones sent a letter to union officials stating that he was exercising his right under National Right to Work Foundation-won Supreme Court precedent in Communication Workers v. Beck to refrain from full-dues-paying union membership.
Because Wisconsin is a forced unionism state, workers who refrain from formal union membership can still be forced to pay part of union dues, but cannot be compelled to pay the portion used for the union’s political, lobbying, and member-only activities.
Despite his letter, AFSCME Local 777 union officials continued to extract full union dues from Quinones’ paycheck. After he filed an unfair labor practice charge, union officials still refused to honor his request to exercise his legal rights. Quinones then filed another charge to prevent the union hierarchy from requiring him to pay forced union fees by automatic deduction from his paycheck in violation of federal law. The latest charge forced AFSCME Local 777 union officials to finally settle the case.
In the settlement, union officials agreed to reimburse all union dues illegally seized from Quinones’ and his coworkers’ paychecks and to post a notice in the workplace informing the workers of their rights to refrain from union membership and object to funding union boss political activities.
“Despite this legal victory for U.S. Bank employees in Milwaukee, workers across the Badger State are still being forced to pay for union boss political activism,” said Patrick Semmens, National Right to Work legal information director. “Wisconsin’s workers badly need a Right to Work law to help them protect their rights against unscrupulous union boss spending.”
If passed, a Wisconsin Right to Work law would end compulsory union dues by making union membership and dues payment strictly voluntary. Polls consistently show that 8 in 10 Americans support the Right to Work principle, that no worker should be compelled to join a union or pay union dues to get or keep a job. Twenty-two states already have Right to Work protections for their workers.
Big Labor-Backed Congressman Rush Holt Tries to Block Union Decertification Election
On Capitol Hill, New Jersey Congressman Rush Holt is a prominent Big Labor enabler: He’s cosponsored the notorious "card check" forced unionism bill, taken tens of thousands of dollars from union bosses who use their forced-dues powers to funnel money into politics, and generally opposed expanding workplace freedom at every turn. His latest stunt? A heavy-handed attempt to block a decertification election that would have thrown an unwanted union out of a New Jersey workplace.
Recently, Holt wrote a letter (pdf) urging the NLRB to block a decertification election that would have removed Teamster bosses from the Durham School Bus offices in Middletown, New Jersey. Holt claims that the company’s unfair labor practices tainted the election, but even if his assertion were true, workers attempting to eject unwelcome union bosses shouldn’t be punished for management’s mistakes. Moreover, Big Labor operatives frequently resort to frivolous legal challenges to prevent employees from getting rid of unions.
Although the election was held as scheduled and Teamster officials ultimately held on to their forced-dues privileges, Holt’s letter demonstrates Big Labor’s staggering political influence. Union bosses will stop at nothing to push more workers into their forced-dues paying ranks. Getting a sitting Congressman to intervene in what was supposed to be an even-handed union decertification election is just the latest example of their political pull. After all, they’ve done it before, and they’ll surely do it again.
Video: National Right to Work Criticizes Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis for Gutting Union Transparency Requirements
National Right to Work President Mark Mix appeared on "Your World with Neil Cavuto" to discuss Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis’s efforts to undermine union transparency. Check out the video below:
Union Member Seeks to Block Obama Labor Department’s Efforts to Roll Back Union Disclosure Rules
Union Member Seeks to Block Obama Labor Department’s Efforts to Roll Back Union Disclosure Rules
Department guts disclosure rule that has exposed numerous corrupt union boss schemes, let rank-and-file members know how dues are spent
Washington, DC (May 23, 2011) – With free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a Maryland county government employee is asking a federal court to stop the Obama Administration from allowing union bosses to conceal lavish and corrupt union expenditures from workers.
Chris Mosquera, a member of a Municipal County Government Employee Local of the United Food and Commercial Worker (UFCW) union, filed the lawsuit against Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for rescinding a union boss disclosure rule which would make it less difficult for workers to hold union officials accountable.
Unions covered by the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) with total annual receipts of $250,000 or more are currently required to submit annual financial statements to the U.S. Department of Labor. LM-2 forms are the public disclosure documents for these larger unions and are available online on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) website.
These forms have helped workers and citizen activists expose many unscrupulous union boss schemes, including lavish benefits to high-ranking union officials and loyalists, superfluous spending on union boss transportation (including private jets), and shady political spending (such as the Service Employees International Union bosses’ links to the disgraced political organization ACORN).
Union Member Seeks to Block Obama Labor Department’s Efforts to Roll Back Union Disclosure Rules
Washington, DC (May 23, 2011) – With free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a Maryland county government employee is asking a federal court to stop the Obama Administration from allowing union bosses to conceal lavish and corrupt union expenditures from workers.
Chris Mosquera, a member of a Municipal County Government Employee Local of the United Food and Commercial Worker (UFCW) union, filed the lawsuit against Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia for rescinding a union boss disclosure rule which would make it less difficult for workers to hold union officials accountable.
Unions covered by the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) with total annual receipts of $250,000 or more are currently required to submit annual financial statements to the U.S. Department of Labor. LM-2 forms are the public disclosure documents for these larger unions and are available online on the U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) website.
These forms have helped workers and citizen activists expose many unscrupulous union boss schemes, including lavish benefits to high-ranking union officials and loyalists, superfluous spending on union boss transportation (including private jets), and shady political spending (such as the Service Employees International Union bosses’ links to the disgraced political organization ACORN).
Mosquera seeks to intervene for the millions of workers who are forced by federal mandate to accept union boss “representation” and pay union dues or fees to a union in order to get or keep their jobs.
The lawsuit alleges that Solis exceeded her power as Secretary of Labor by repealing a January 2009 LM-2 Final Rule because the rule put a “burden” on union officials to report their expenditures to the public. However, under federal law, Solis cannot use “burden” as a justification for rescission of a rule. Solis further overstepped her legal authority by singlehandedly creating a new rule that allows union bosses to more easily evade and circumvent the LMRDA.
The Right to Work Foundation also has a federal lawsuit pending in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia against the DOL over a Freedom of Information Act request for internal DOL communications and communications with union officials concerning the LM-2 rule change.
“Once again the Obama Administration puts union boss priorities ahead of the rights and well-being of individual employees,” said Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work. “Hilda Solis apparently believes that not only should union bosses have the power to compel workers to pay union dues and fees as a condition of employment, but that those same union bosses should be able to keep workers in the dark about how those forced union dues and fees are spent.”
Foundation Fights Back Against Obama Labor Board’s Assault on Right to Work
South Carolina newspaper and television outlets have highlighted the National Right to Work Foundation’s efforts to challenge the National Labor Relations Board’s scheme to undermine laws that protect worker freedom.
The Acting General Counself of the NLRB filed a complaint last month against Boeing for creating over 1000 new jobs in South Carolina, where International Association of Machinists union bosses can’t force workers to pay dues or "fees" as a condition of employment.
The Foundation is offering free legal aid to current or potential Boeing employees affected by this power grab. Also this week, the Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request with the NLRB.
Charleston’s The Post and Courier interviewed Foundation president Mark Mix earlier this week:
"They’re really saying that private companies can’t make a business decision," he said Monday.
His Springfield, Va.-based foundation’s legal team is looking to persuade as many local Boeing workers as it can to provide affidavits and justify its request for an official place at the litigation table. The group has already heard from at least two unidentified employees who have expressed an interest in participating, he said.
WSCS Live 5 News also covered the Foundation’s offer:
The Foundation relies on the voluntary support of individual Americans who believe in our cause and wish to advance our strategic litigation program. To make a fully tax-deductible donation in whatever amount, please click here.
News Release: Union Forced Dues Threats against WRTV Anchor Highlight Need for Indiana Right to Work Law
Union Forced Dues Threats against WRTV Anchor Highlight Need for Indiana Right to Work Law
Union hit with federal labor board charges for demanding TV anchor pay union dues despite lack of valid contract between her employer and the union
Indianapolis, IN (May 19, 2011) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, WRTV anchor Patricia Shepherd has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) union.
Shepherd’s charges allege that AFTRA officials demanded she pay dues despite the fact that she is not a union member and the union has not had a contract with her employer for the past two years.
Because Indiana lacks a Right to Work law, employees can be forced to pay union dues for the purposes of workplace bargaining just to get or keep a job. In recent months, Indiana legislators were considering a law to make union dues payments strictly voluntary, but Governor Mitch Daniels and House Speaker Brian Bosma, despite strong majorities on record in favor of a Right to Work bill in both chambers of the state legislature, ultimately killed the legislation.
Click here to read the whole thing . . .
Union Forced Dues Threats against WRTV Anchor Highlight Need for Indiana Right to Work Law
Indianapolis, IN (May 19, 2011) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, WRTV anchor Patricia Shepherd has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA) union.
Shepherd’s charges allege that AFTRA officials demanded she pay dues despite the fact that she is not a union member and the union has not had a contract with her employer for the past two years.
Because Indiana lacks a Right to Work law, employees can be forced to pay union dues for the purposes of workplace bargaining just to get or keep a job. In recent months, Indiana legislators were considering a law to make union dues payments strictly voluntary, but Governor Mitch Daniels and House Speaker Brian Bosma, despite strong majorities on record in favor of a Right to Work bill in both chambers of the state legislature, ultimately killed the legislation.
In this case, the AFTRA union has not had a contract with WRTV since March 2009 and therefore is not entitled to collect dues for negotiations with management. Moreover, the last contract between the union and the television station indicated that joining AFTRA or paying union dues was not a condition of employment at WRTV.
Although the union’s own contract includes language stating that dues payment is not a condition of employment, AFTRA officials continue to insist that Shepherd pay union dues. The union has gone so far as to refer Shepherd’s name to a professional collections agency in Pennsylvania.
Shepherd’s charges will now be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board.
“The decision by Speaker Bosma and Governor Daniels to block a vote on an Indiana Right to Work law means that union bosses will continue to order employees fired for refusing to pay union dues,” said Patrick Semmens, Legal Information Director for the National Right to Work Foundation. “In this case, union officials broke the law by attempting to collect dues without a valid forced unionism clause, but other Indiana union bosses are still empowered to collect hundreds of millions of dollars from workers who face termination if they don’t pay up.”
Semmens continued: “Ultimately, a Right to Work law for the Hoosier State would be the best way to end this injustice, ensuring that union membership and dues payment are strictly voluntary.”
News Release: Worker Advocate Files FOIA Request to Disclose Political Motives Behind NLRB’s Attack on Boeing
Worker Advocate Files FOIA Request to Disclose Political Motives Behind NLRB’s Attack on Boeing
Foundation offers free legal aid to current and prospective Boeing employees in South Carolina who would lose their jobs if IAM union bosses have their way
Washington, DC (May 16, 2011) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) disclosure request with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on the heels of the agency’s recent announcement that it will prosecute airline manufacturer Boeing Corp.
If International Association of Machinists (IAM) union officials and the NLRB are successful, over 1,000 Boeing employees in South Carolina would be out of work as Boeing will be forced to relocate the aircraft assembly jobs to Washington State which lacks Right to Work protections for employees.
The NLRB’s acting general counsel, Lafe Solomon, issued the complaint against Boeing late last month at the behest of IAM union bosses. In 2009, Boeing opened the new plant to produce 787 Dreamliner airplanes in South Carolina, largely because South Carolina is a Right to Work state that protects workers from being required to join or pay dues to a union just to get or keep a job.
Foundation President Mark Mix submitted the FOIA inquiry on Monday.
Read the Foundation’s FOIA request here (pdf).
