Majority of Lynchburg, Virginia Manufacturing Plant Workers File Petition to Oust Chemical Union Bosses
Parker O-Rings & Engineered Seals employees petition to end union’s near 50-year “representation” at facility
Lynchburg, VA (February 17, 2026) – Natera Carter, an employee of Parker O-Ring & Engineered Seals, has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a “decertification” election to remove the International Chemical Workers Union Council (ICWUC) Local 845C labor union from her workplace. The petition was filed with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
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.
Carter’s petition was signed by the majority of her 51 coworkers, far exceeding the amount required to trigger an NLRB-supervised secret ballot decertification vote. The workers’ election has been scheduled for February 25th, 2026, and will include all hourly production, lab technicians, maintenance, shipping, receiving, and quality inspection employees at the Lynchburg facility. According to the petition, the union gained monopoly power over the workplace in 1980.
“The workers who decided to bring the union into this workplace are no longer here and now it is time for current employees to have our say,” stated Carter. “We’ve seen the union up close and now we’re joining together to remove it.”
Virginia is one of the 26 states with Right to Work protections that safeguard workers by making union affiliation and dues payment strictly voluntary. Yet, even in Right to Work states, union officials can impose exclusive bargaining control upon all workers in a workplace, even those who oppose the union.
“Virginia’s popular Right to Work law means union officials cannot have workers fired for refusing to join or pay dues to the union, but even in Virginia, workers are forced under union monopoly ‘representation’ they don’t want and never asked for,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “This case and the many others like it are a reminder that in addition to the overwhelming majority of workers who choose to remain nonunion, countless others are currently forced under a union monopoly they oppose. That’s just plain wrong.”
Counselor at IL Correctional Facility Slams Union With Federal Charges For Illegally Seizing Money From Paycheck
AFSCME union officials told worker that formal membership and full dues payments are required just to keep her job
East Saint Louis, IL (February 11, 2026) – A mental health professional employed by University Correctional Healthcare Solutions has just filed a federal charge against the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31 union, maintaining that union officials are forcing her to join the union and pay full union dues – including dues for union politics.
The employee, J. Denise Bradley, is pursuing her case at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys. The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing private sector labor law. Ms. Bradley works primarily at the Illinois Youth Center Pere Marquette in Grafton, IL.
Even though federal labor law permits union bosses in many states to force workers to pay money to a union to keep their jobs, the Supreme Court’s decision in NLRB v. General Motors forbids mandatory formal union membership. Additionally, the Foundation-won CWA v. Beck Supreme Court decision prohibits union officials from requiring workers who opt out of union membership to pay dues for the union’s “nonchargeable” expenses, which include political and ideological actions.
Illinois lacks Right to Work protections for its private sector workers, meaning union officials can enforce union contracts that require workers to pay money to the union or else be fired. However, this legal privilege is limited by Beck. In contrast, in Right to Work states like Illinois’ neighbors Wisconsin, Iowa, Indiana, and Kentucky, all union financial support is voluntary and the choice of each individual worker.
“My colleagues and I are very proud of the services we provide, as challenging as our jobs are. The last thing I need is AFSCME union officials threatening my livelihood because I refuse to support their regime inside the workplace and their political agenda outside the workplace,” commented Bradley. “No worker in any profession deserves to be bullied into funding a union they oppose, especially if they feel that the union isn’t doing anything to improve their work.”
Council 31 is notably the same AFSCME affiliate that Foundation attorneys faced in the 2018 Janus v. AFSCME Supreme Court decision. In Janus, the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling establishing that public sector employees have a First Amendment right to refrain from paying dues to union officials. While Bradley works for a private contractor and is not under the purview of Janus, federal law still protects her from being forced to pay full dues or authorize automatic deduction of union dues for AFSCME Council 31.
AFSCME Union Officials Ignore Supreme Court Precedent, Use Unlawful Dues Forms
According to Bradley’s charge, AFSCME union officials told her and her coworkers that “it was a condition of employment to: (1) be a member of the Union; (2) pay full Union dues and/or (3) sign the Union’s unlawful dual-purpose membership and dues deduction authorization form.” Federal law prohibits the use of “dual-purpose” union membership forms, which confusingly demand that workers assent to both membership and direct paycheck deduction of union dues with only one signature.
In late 2025, Bradley attempted to exercise her right to refrain from union membership and her right to pay a reduced amount of union dues as per Beck. AFSCME union officials sent correspondence to Bradley rejecting her attempts to exercise her right under federal law to refrain from membership. Those communications also stated “the Union [does] not permit employees to pay a reduced fee.”
“Solely to preserve her employment, [Bradley] involuntarily signed the Union’s unlawful dual-purpose membership and dues deduction authorization form ‘under protest,’” the charges read. Bradley’s charges finally report that the union has never made any attempt to respect her rights under Beck and that full union dues are now flowing from her paycheck to AFSCME Council 31.
“AFSCME Council 31 union officials are just as intent on attacking workers’ free association rights as they were when Janus was being litigated,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Instead of trying to win the support of Ms. Bradley and her coworkers voluntarily, they are ignoring federal laws to fund union political and ideological activities.
“Unions that disrespect employees like this don’t deserve a cent of employees’ hard-earned pay, which is why all American workers deserve the Right to Work freedom to choose for themselves whether or not to fund a union,” Mix added.
Security Guards Overwhelmingly Vote to Remove SPFPA Union Officials from Vogtle Nuclear Power Plant
Guards avoid runoff with clear vote to reject two different unions
Waynesboro, GA (February 10, 2026) – Security guards working for Southern Nuclear Operating Company have freed themselves from the control of Security, Police and Fire Professionals of America (SPFPA) union officials in their workplace. The guards, who in January filed a petition seeking a “union decertification vote” with free assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, work at Plant Vogtle, a major nuclear power plant in Waynesboro, Georgia.
In a vote conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), a majority of voting security guards decided against having any union at all in their workplace, rejecting both the SPFPA and a rival union that was trying to work its way into power. By voting overwhelmingly to reject union “representation,” the guards avoided a runoff election and sent a clear message in favor of their individual freedom.
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. Under NLRB rules, the Board should administer a decertification election if employees submit a petition in which at least 30% of workers in a work unit demand such an election.
Security Guards Restore Individual Freedom in Their Workplace
Georgia is a Right to Work state, meaning that SPFPA officials could not enforce union contracts that require workers to pay union dues or fees to keep their jobs. Now, the nearly 250 security guards at the power plant are also free from SFPFA’s exclusive “representation,” a power used by union officials to impose restrictive, one-size-fits-all contracts on every employee in a workplace, even those who don’t support the union.
The Foundation has seen unprecedented levels of worker-backed decertification efforts in the wake of the radical, pro-Big Labor policies instituted by the Biden Administration. There were several successful decertification efforts in 2025 involving the Teamsters, the Operating Engineers, the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, and the Service Employees International Union. This successful effort continues this trend into 2026.
“Contrary to union boss propaganda, workers all across America desire to make a living independent of union rules and strictures. Plant Vogtle security guards have just joined the vast majority of American workers who are not under union control and have no ambitions to join a union,” said National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “While Georgia’s Right to Work law guards employees from the forced-dues demands of union officials, no worker should be forced under the control of union chiefs who are self-interested or simply aren’t doing a good job.”
Foodservice Workers at Two High Schools Win Campaign to Remove SEIU Union Bosses
After vast majority of cafeteria workers requested vote to ‘decertify’ union, union bosses disclaimed interest rather than face a vote
Chicago, IL (February 4, 2026) – Foodservice employees who serve Lyons Township High School North and Lyons Township High School South have successfully removed Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 73 officials from power at their workplaces.
The victory comes after Quest Food Management Services employee Lisa Latelle filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) a petition backed by the majority of her coworkers seeking such a vote. Latelle spearheaded the union removal effort with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing private sector labor law, a task which includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Nearly everyone in Latelle’s unit backed the petition seeking a union decertification vote. Latelle’s work unit includes all Quest Food Management employees at both high schools, including “Cooks, Assistant Cooks, Food Service Workers, Utility and Caterers.”
According to NLRB Region 13’s Decision and Direction of Election, the decertification election would have taken place near the end of January in the staff cafeterias of both Lyons Township High School North and Lyons Township High School South. However, ahead of the election, SEIU union officials disclaimed interest in maintaining control over the work unit, likely fearing a lopsided vote result against the union.
Because Illinois lacks Right to Work protections for its private sector workers, SEIU union officials had the power to force Latelle and her coworkers to pay union fees to keep their jobs. In Right to Work states like neighboring Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky, and Iowa, union financial support and union membership are the voluntary choice of each individual worker. With SEIU officials gone, Quest Food Management Services employees are free of both the union’s forced-dues demands and the union’s monopoly bargaining control over their contracts.
“SEIU union officials did not represent our interests in the workplace, yet money was constantly coming out of our paychecks to support their activities,” Latelle commented. “The vast majority of my coworkers had had enough of that, and we’re glad we could band together to free ourselves of the SEIU’s control.”
“It is wrong to force any worker under union bosses’ so-called ‘representation’ against their will,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Yet in Illinois, workers are not only forced under union monopolies, but can be required to fund union activities or else be fired.
“We are proud to have helped the cafeteria workers at Lyons Township schools exercise their right to eject the SEIU and escape both forced dues and forced ‘representation,’” added Mix. “We look forward to the day when every individual employee in Illinois has the right to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a labor union.”
Veolia Environmental Services Employee Slams Teamsters With Federal Charges for Illegal Termination Threats
Worker maintains that Teamsters Local 63 officials threatened to have her fired for not joining the union and refusing to pay for union politics
Colton, CA (February 2, 2026) – An employee of medical waste management firm Veolia Environmental Services has just hit Teamsters Local 63 union officials with federal charges, maintaining that union officials threatened to have her fired for refusing to join the union. The employee, Alexus Villanueva, also charges Teamsters bosses with unlawfully forcing her to pay full union dues, including dues for union political activities, via paycheck deduction.
Villanueva filed her charges at 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 in the private sector. Under federal labor law and Supreme Court decisions like NLRB v. General Motors, union officials cannot enforce contracts that mandate formal union membership as a condition of employment. Furthermore, the Foundation-won CWA v. Beck Supreme Court decision bars union bosses from compelling workers to pay for “nonchargeable” union expenses, like the union’s political or ideological doings.
California lacks Right to Work protections for its workers, meaning that union chiefs can force workers under their control to pay union dues or fees as a condition of keeping their jobs. In contrast, in Right to Work states like neighboring Nevada and Arizona, union membership and all union financial support are strictly voluntary for workers.
Teamsters Union Officials Blatantly Ignore Federal Labor Law
According to Villanueva’s charges, Teamsters Local 63 officials threatened to have her fired if she didn’t join the union and authorize the deduction of union dues from her paychecks. Federal law forbids union officials from requiring workers to pay union dues by direct deductions from their paychecks.
Villanueva’s charges also detail that Teamsters bosses violated other elements of the Beck decision, including by “fail[ing] to provide her with…a notice of the calculation of the amount of non-chargeable fees verified by an independent certified public accountant” and “an opportunity to challenge its calculation and have it reviewed by an impartial decisionmaker.”
Case Follows String of Actions by SoCal Workers Against Teamsters Local 63
In recent years, Foundation attorneys have helped numerous other workers in Southern California challenge Teamsters Local 63 union officials. In 2024, Dependable Highway Express driver John Cwiek slammed the union with charges after he faced retaliation for revealing publicly available data about Teamsters bosses’ salaries. Cwiek and his coworkers later sought a “decertification vote” with free Foundation aid and successfully forced the union out of their workplace. Foundation attorneys also aided Ozvaldo Gutierrez and his Los Angeles-based XPO Logistics colleagues in removing Teamsters Local 63 from power in 2021.
“Instead of seeking to win workers over voluntarily, Teamsters Local 63 union bosses continue to flout federal labor law in pursuit of more control and more dues money,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “But worker opposition to Teamsters control is not limited just to Southern California – recent NLRB statistics suggest that no union faces more employee-backed removal attempts than the Teamsters.
“While it’s especially heinous that Teamsters officials are attempting to get Ms. Villanueva fired for refusing to pay for union political activity, ultimately no worker should be forced to subsidize any part of union bosses’ agenda just to keep their job,” Mix added.
Washington State Medical and Aerospace Materials Manufacturing Workers File Petition to Remove Machinists Union Bosses
Majority of manufacturing workers back petition to end IAM union officials’ monopoly “representation” powers
Bellingham, WA (January 30, 2026) – Albert Sherman Toribio, an employee of Trulife, Inc., has filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a “decertification” election to remove International Association of Machinists (IAM) Local 2379 union officials from his workplace. The petition, which a majority of workers support, was filed with free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), a task that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. The workers are requesting NLRB Region 19 schedule an election so that they can exercise their right to remove the IAM from their facility.
Toribio’s petition was signed by a majority of his 58 coworkers, far more than the number of signatures required to trigger an NLRB-supervised secret ballot decertification vote.
Washington is one of the 24 states that lack Right to Work safeguards for workers, which allows IAM union bosses to impose monopoly bargaining contracts that force employees to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment. By contrast, in Right to Work states like neighboring Idaho, union membership and union financial support are strictly voluntary.
“We are pleased to be able to assist Mr. Toribio and his fellow employees in their effort to exercise their rights under the NLRA to hold a secret ballot election to remove unwanted IAM union bosses from their facility,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “The NLRB should promptly schedule this vote so these workers can free themselves from a union that most workers want nothing to do with.”
National Right to Work Foundation Issues Legal Notice to NYC Nurses Subject to NYSNA Strike Order
As strike continues, notice reminds nurses wishing to return to work that they must resign their union memberships to avoid potentially ruinous strike fines
Washington, DC (January 22, 2026) – Today, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation issued a special legal notice for New York City-area nurses subject to New York State Nurses Association (NYSNA) union bosses’ recent strike order against five major hospitals. News reports indicate that strike activity will continue even as bargaining talks proceed.
The legal notice informs these workers of rights that union officials often do not want them to know. First and foremost, nurses have the right to resign their union memberships and keep working to support their families, thereby avoiding union fines and internal discipline.
“The situation presents serious concerns for employees who believe there is much to lose from a union-ordered strike,” the legal notice reads. “That is why workers confronted with strike demands frequently contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to learn how they can avoid fines and union discipline for continuing to work during a strike to support themselves and their families.”
The notice is available at: https://www.nrtw.org/nysna/
Foundation: Resign Union Membership Before Returning to Work to Avoid Fines and Discipline
Most importantly, the notice informs nurses who want to keep working that the safest way to avoid strike fines and other punishment by union bosses is to resign union membership before returning to work. “Unions cannot fine non-members for post-resignation conduct, and union members have the legal right to resign their membership at any time,” the notice says.
The Foundation’s special legal notice provides nurses sample union resignation letters, as well as information on how to exercise their right under the CWA v. Beck Supreme Court decision to opt out of paying dues for union politics. The notice also gives workers information on how to begin a petition for a “decertification election,” in which employees request a workplace election to remove the union.
“While Bernie Sanders and Zohran Mamdani use this strike as an opportunity to grandstand alongside NYSNA union officials, many rank-and-file Big Apple nurses simply want to get back to caring for their patients,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Foundation staff attorneys are already receiving inquiries from nurses who have already been threatened by union bosses with five figure fines for refusing to strike.
“In addition to those who have already contacted Foundation attorneys, there are likely countless other nurses feeling the pressure as they face a choice between caving to union officials’ intimidation tactics or continuing to care for their patients and support their families,” added Mix. “New York City-area nurses need to know that union bosses have no legal power to require them to abandon their patients and Foundation attorneys stand ready to ensure they can fully exercise their rights.”
Sacramento St. Hope Educators Ask Federal Labor Board to Hold Vote to Eject SCTA Union Officials
Majority of St. Hope teachers support union decertification vote, petition submitted to National Labor Relations Board
Sacramento, CA (January 14, 2026) – A majority of educators for charter school operator St. HOPE Public Schools are requesting a vote to end Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA) union officials’ bargaining power over their schools. SCTA is an affiliate of both the California Teachers Association (CTA) and National Education Association (NEA).
St. HOPE educator Beth Simonton filed a petition backed by the majority of her coworkers late last week, requesting the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hold a union removal vote among St. HOPE teachers. Simonton is receiving free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The NLRB is the agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. The work unit covered by the petition includes over 50 teachers from PS7 Elementary School, PS7 Middle School, and Sacramento Charter High School.
The SCTA first gained monopoly bargaining power over the charter system in 2018. St. HOPE teachers petitioned for a union decertification vote in 2021, but SCTA union officials were able to manipulate allegations of employer misconduct to scuttle it.
CTA Union Officials Cause Division in Sacramento Schools and Other CA Schools
“SCTA union officials have been extremely divisive and have not had a positive impact on teachers, students, or the St. HOPE community as a whole,” commented Simonton. “They’ve spent much more time trying to demonize school leadership than simply standing up for our interests. I’m proud to represent the majority of educators at St. HOPE who are standing up and saying ‘enough is enough.’”
St. HOPE Public Schools operates public charter schools within the Sacramento City Unified School District (SCUSD). In the past, California’s public schools have been subject to state labor boards and regulations. However, the Supreme Court’s ruling in NLRB v. Natural Gas Utility District of Hawkins County strongly suggests that the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) covers charter school operators like St. HOPE within its definition of “employers” subject to the NLRB’s authority.
The Foundation has aided numerous charter school employees over the years in opposing unwanted union hierarchies. Elsewhere in California, charter school teachers at Gompers Preparatory Academy in San Diego sought Foundation aid in obtaining a vote to remove San Diego Education Association (SDEA) union officials from the school. After two such efforts (one in 2019 and another in 2023) and much litigation over union delay tactics, the educators finally voted the SDEA out in 2023.
Educators Seek Escape from Teacher Union and California Labor Bureaucracy
“St. HOPE educators serve some of Sacramento’s most underprivileged young people, and they deserve to have their voices in the workplace heard,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “California’s legislature and administrative state are deep in the pockets of CTA teacher union bosses, who overwhelmingly seek to further their own interests and power over the rights of educators themselves.
“We at the Foundation hope that Ms. Simonton and her colleagues’ effort to break free of both CTA union officials and the onerous California labor bureaucracy is just the first step in achieving greater freedom for charter school educators across the Golden State,” commented Mix.
