National Right to Work Foundation attorneys inform teachers of how to exercise legal right to continue working despite UTLA union-ordered strike

Los Angeles, CA (January 11, 2019) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has issued a Special Legal Notice informing Los Angeles teachers of their rights regarding the strike that United Teachers Los Angeles officials have ordered.

The notice explains that, although union officials have ordered teachers out on strike, employees have the legal right to rebuff union officials’ strike demands. The notice informs teachers unwilling to abandon their students how to protect themselves against union retaliation by resigning their formal union membership prior to working while union officials are demanding they cease educating students.

According to the notice:

“Teachers and other school employees who don’t want to abandon their schools and their students are advised to carefully read the following notice about their legal rights. The situation raises serious concerns for employees who believe there is much to lose from a union ordered strike. Employees have the legal right to rebuff union officials’ strike demands, but it is important for them to be informed before they do so.”

The notice, which can be found on the National Right to Work Foundation website at www.nrtw.org/special-legal-notice-teachers-los-angeles, provides important legal information for any teacher who wishes to continue to work during the strike.

“Teachers shouldn’t be kept in the dark any longer about their legal protections in the event of a strike,” said Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Despite union boss pressure, Los Angeles educators should know that they do not have to abandon their classrooms simply because union officials make demands. The Foundation will provide free legal aid for any teacher or other worker who seeks to exercise his or her rights, or is subjected to threats for doing so.”

Workers can request free legal aid at www.nrtw.org/free-legal-aid or by calling the Foundation toll-free at 1-800-336-3600.

October 5, 2018 – Officials of UNITE HERE have ordered Marriott employees out on strike across the country.

The situation raises serious concerns for employees who believe there is much to lose from a union-ordered strike. Employees have the right under federal labor law to rebuff union officials’ strike demands, but it is important for you to be informed about that right before you do so.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK DURING A STRIKE READ ALL OF THIS SPECIAL NOTICE BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK – IT MIGHT SAVE YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!

UNITE HERE union officials have a decades long history of disciplining, fining and abusing workers who do not kow-tow to their dictates, as these reports show:

Union Officials Attempt to Have Hotel Worker Fired for Exercising Workplace Rights

UNITE HERE Union Organizers Accuse Union Bosses of Psychological Abuse, Manipulation, and Cultlike Behavior

‘UNITE HERE!’ Union Bosses Forced to Refund Dues Illegally Seized from Nonmember Hotel Workers

Federal Government to Prosecute UNITE HERE! Local for Illegal Union Dues Seizures

Terranea Resort Concierge Files Charges Against Union for Demanding Organizing Assistance from Company

For this reason, Marriott employees may want to contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to learn how they can avoid fines and other vicious union discipline for continuing to report to work to support themselves and their families. Much of the important information about your rights can be found on our website here:

About Your Legal Rights: Private Sector Employees

What if I want to work during a strike?

How can I resign my union membership?

Union Discipline and Employee Rights

The Foundation wants you to learn about your legal rights from independent sources. You should not rely on what self-interested union officials tell you. For over four decades, Foundation attorneys have worked in the courts to protect and expand the rights of individual employees in situations such as strikes. It is the nation’s premier organization exclusively dedicated to providing free legal assistance to employee victims of forced unionism abuse.

Marriott employees should know they have the following rights:

1) You have the right to resign your membership in the union. If you don’t support this union, you can send it a letter resigning your membership. You cannot legally be required to be a union member.

2) You have the right to go to work even if the union bosses order a strike. Union officials can (and often do) levy onerous monetary fines against union members who work during a strike. So, you should seriously consider resigning your union membership BEFORE you return to work during a strike, which is the only way to avoid these ruinous union fines and discipline. See Union Discipline and Employee Rights. Your resignation letter must be postmarked THE DAY BEFORE you return to work, or be hand delivered BEFORE you actually return to work, ideally with a witness.

3) If you become a nonmember, you will have the right to become a "Beck objector" and pay only reduced "financial core" fees instead of full membership dues. If you become a Beck objector, you will not be forced to pay for the UNITE HERE union’s far left political and social agenda.

4) You also have the right to revoke your dues check-off and stop allowing the union hierarchy to automatically collect money from your paycheck every week while no contract is in effect. You can send letters to the union and your employer revoking your authorization to have union dues deducted from your paycheck.

5) If you wish to eject an unaccountable union hierarchy from your workplace, you have the right to sign and circulate a decertification petition to obtain a secret ballot election to do so. See Decertification Election.

Here is a sample letter for employees who wish to resign their union membership and become Beck objectors.

NOTE: Although not legally required, it is a better practice to send your letter to the union by certified mail, return receipt requested, and save a copy of your letter and the return receipt to prove delivery. If you hand deliver a letter, make sure that you have a reliable witness to the delivery. In our experience, angry and dishonest union officials often pretend they did not actually receive resignations and initiate discipline against non-striking workers anyway. A copy of the letter should also be delivered to the employer’s human resources or payroll department.

National Right to Work Foundation offers free legal aid to West Virginia workers seeking to exercise right to end forced union payments

Morgantown, West Virginia (October 18, 2017) – Recently, West Virginia’s Supreme Court ruled in favor of the State’s Right to Work law which protects workers from being forced to join or fund a union they do not support. This law is now in full effect.

With the ruling, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys have issued a special legal notice for all West Virginia employees. Under the state’s Right to Work law, union membership and payment of union dues or fees are strictly voluntary. However, union officials frequently use underhanded or illegal tactics to block workers from cutting off union payments. The special notice is designed to help workers overcome such tactics.

The notice can be found here: https://www.nrtw.org/WVSpecialLegalNotice/

Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation released the following statement regarding the notice and offer of free legal aid:

“Union officials across America continue to waste tax dollars and workers’ money by making outlandish legal claims in their attempts to hold onto their power to have a worker fired for refusing to pay money to the union. Right to Work laws have long been upheld by appellate courts, including the U.S. Supreme Court, so it is not a surprise that the West Virginia Supreme Court rejected the arguments against the Mountain State’s Right to Work law.

“Still, it is important that all workers in West Virginia understand their rights and protections under West Virginia’s Right to Work law, as union officials frequently attempt to block workers from using the protections established by Right to Work laws. Any worker seeking to exercise their rights under West Virginia’s Right to Work law should know they can turn to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation for free legal assistance. ”

Employees seeking more information about their rights under the law, or in need of assistance in exercising those rights, can call the Foundation’s legal hotline toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, e-mail legal@nrtw.org, or contact the Foundation online at www.nrtw.org/free-legal-aid to request free legal assistance.

Springfield, VA (November 3, 2016) –The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation issued a special legal notice to the nearly 5,000 bus, subway, and trolley operators of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) workers who, according to reports, have been ordered by Transportation Workers Union (TWU) union bosses to strike beginning November 1.

Mark Mix, President of the NRTW Foundation, issued the following statement:

“All too often union bosses initiate strikes to further their own power even if striking is not in the best interest of rank-and-file workers, or of the public at large. Affected workers need to know that federal labor law is clear: any worker has the right to remain on the job during a strike if the business remains open. Further, all workers have the right to resign from union membership and avoid internal union discipline for breaking ranks with their union bosses.

To protect their rights and prevent union officials from retaliating against them in the form of internal union discipline, workers must follow certain procedures. To help workers understand their workplace rights in a strike situation, the Foundation has posted a special notice for SEPTA employees who have been ordered to strike.

Although workers have the right to continue working or return to work despite the union official-ordered strike, it is important that any worker who wishes to work during a strike resign his or her union membership before returning to work to avoid internal union discipline, including fines that have been as high as $50,000.

It is very important that affected workers understand their rights, and that they may turn to the Foundation for free legal aid if they encounter union boss resistance when trying to exercise those rights.”

Also, workers who see or encounter violence on the picket lines should contact and report such incidents to the Foundation. Workers may contact the Foundation through its website www.NRTW.org or by calling the Foundation’s toll-free hotline: 1-800-336-3600. The Foundation’s special legal notice for SEPTA workers may be found here.

Foundation’s West Virginia Right to Work Task Force offers free legal aid to West Virginia employees seeking to exercise Right to Work protections

Springfield, VA (March 10, 2016) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has created a special legal task force to defend and enforce West Virginia’s newly-passed Right to Work law. Today, staff attorneys issued a special notice to all West Virginia workers detailing the new workplace rights workers will enjoy once the Right to Work law takes effect. The notice explains how workers may request free legal advice and aid from Foundation staff attorneys.

In February, West Virginia legislators overrode Gov. Tomblin’s veto of Right to Work legislation, thereby making West Virginia the nation’s newest Right to Work state. Under the law – which applies to monopoly bargaining contracts entered into, modified, renewed or extended after July 1, 2016 – workers will no longer be required to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment once any union monopoly bargaining agreement in effect on or before June 30, 2016, is modified, renewed or extended.

Unfortunately, union officials often try to stymie independent-minded workers who seek to exercise their rights under Right to Work laws. Workers seeking to exercise their Right to Work protections frequently encounter intimidation and harassment. Any West Virginia worker who has questions about his or her rights or encounters any resistance or abuse while trying to exercise his or her workplace rights, is encouraged to contact Foundation staff attorneys for free legal aid.

Workers may view the special legal notice here to learn how to contact the Foundation for assistance. Affected employees may also call the Foundation’s legal hotline toll-free at 1-800-336-3600 or contact the Foundation online at www.nrtw.org to request free legal assistance or to learn more about their new rights.

“Right to Work laws prevent the injustice workers suffer from compulsory unionism,” said Mark Mix, president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “But Right to Work laws are only effective if they are vigorously enforced, and we know that union bosses will devise schemes to keep workers in their forced-dues grasp. The National Right to Work Foundation will fight to make sure that every West Virginian’s Right to Work is protected, because no worker should ever be forced to pay union dues or fees just to get or keep a job.”

The Seattle City Council is considering a measure to hand over drivers’ personal contact information to union officials so drivers can be forced to pay union dues

Springfield, VA (September 23, 2015) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has issued this special legal notice to all Seattle-area independent, for-hire drivers, alerting them to an impending threat to their individual freedom.

Acting at the behest of union officials, the Seattle City Council is targeting independent drivers, such as those who contract with Uber and Lyft, for mandatory unionization and the seizure of compulsory union fees. The Seattle City Council is considering enacting a bill, which can be found here, that:

(1) requires that independent drivers’ personal information, including their home and email addressesand phone numbers, be turned over to union officials;

(2) authorizes exclusive union representation of independent drivers, in which union officials gain legalauthority to speak and contract for all independent drivers who contract with a company, irrespective of whether an individual driver approves or not; and

(3) authorizes union officials to make agreements with companies that “require membership of for-hiredrivers in the [union] . . . as a condition of being hired, contracted with, or partnered with by the driver coordinator to provide for-hire services to the public.”

The legality of Seattle’s imminent attempt to foist compulsory unionization on independent drivers is highly suspect and may be susceptible to legal challenge.

If you are an independent driver in the Seattle area who values your independence, and oppose being forced to submit to mandatory union representation and forced union dues, you can contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation for information about your rights and legal options.

Since 1968, the Foundation has worked in the courts to expand and protect the rights of individuals to choose to refrain from union representation and membership. It is the nation’s premier organization exclusively dedicated to providing free legal assistance to individual victims of forced unionism.

If you are an independent driver who wants to learn more about your legal rights and options, contact a Foundation staff attorney toll free at 1-800-336-3600, or via email to legal@nrtw.org, or by clicking here.

“Big Labor union bosses and their Seattle political allies are desperate to force more workers into the depleted ranks of forced unionism,” said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “It is outrageous that for-hire drivers could soon be forced to forfeit a portion of their earnings to a union to continue to work with companies like Uber and Lyft. The National Right to Work Foundation will proudly offer free legal aid to drivers opposed to this violation of their rights.”

Springfield, VA (September 18, 2014) – The National Right to Work Foundation has issued a special legal notice regarding Vance, Alabama Mercedes-Benz workers targeted by United Auto Workers (UAW) union officials for unionization. The notice can be viewed here: https://www.nrtw.org/en/special-notice-alabama-mercedes-benz.

UAW union officials are waging an aggressive unionization campaign targeting Mercedes-Benz workers at the Vance plant. The Foundation’s notice debunks UAW union boss Dennis Williams’s claims that Mercedes-Benz workers must unionize with the UAW union in order to discuss wages and working conditions with their employer. The notice informs workers about what they can legally do if they oppose, or change their minds about their support of, the unionization scheme.

The notice also addresses workers’ legal rights during a card check unionization campaign, similar to what UAW union officials attempted in Chattanooga, Tennessee, in case UAW union organizers resort to the coercive unionization tactic.

“Mercedes-Benz workers can discuss their work with their employer without UAW unionization,” said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “UAW union officials are misleading workers into thinking that they have no choice but to unionize in order to have a voice in the workplace.”

“National Right to Work attorneys have assisted workers across the country who have suffered the consequences of these top-down organizing campaigns designed by UAW union officials, most recently in Chattanooga,” added Mix. “Workers who feel they are being unfairly pressured when deciding whether or not to associate with the UAW union may request free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys by calling 1-800-336-3600 or contacting us on the Foundation’s website at www.nrtw.org.”

Springfield, VA (September 5, 2013) – The National Right to Work Foundation has issued a special legal notice regarding Chattanooga, Tennessee Volkswagen AG (VOW.DE) workers targeted by United Auto Workers (UAW) union officials for unionization. The notice can be viewed here: https://www.nrtw.org/en/vw-chattanooga.

Recent media reports suggest that Volkswagen and UAW union officials are in talks about unionization of the VW workers at the Chattanooga plant. The Foundation’s notice debunks UAW union boss Bob King’s remarks that Volkswagen workers must unionize with the UAW union in order to discuss wages and working conditions with their employer. The notice also informs workers about what they can legally do if they oppose, or change their minds about their support of, the unionization scheme.

“Volkswagen workers can discuss their work with their employer without UAW unionization,” said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “The UAW’s campaign of misrepresentation is meant only to misinform workers into thinking that they have no choice but to unionize.”

“National Right to Work attorneys have assisted workers across the country who have suffered the consequences of these top-down organizing campaigns designed by UAW union officials,” added Mix. “Workers who feel they are being unfairly pressured when deciding whether or not to associate with the UAW union may request free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys by calling 1-800-336-3600 or contacting us on the Foundation’s website at www.nrtw.org.”