Florida Wells Fargo Workers Successfully Remove CWA Union
Spring Hill bank branch employees union-free as CWA union bosses decline to face federally supervised vote of employees
Spring Hill, FL (March 30, 2026) – Employees at the Lakewood Plaza location of Wells Fargo in Spring Hill, FL, have successfully forced Communications Workers of America (CWA) union officials out of power at their workplace. The effort to remove the union kicked off earlier this month, when bank employee Virginia Fenton filed a petition asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to hold a union decertification vote at the Spring Hill Wells Fargo branch. Fenton filed the petition with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing private sector labor law, a task that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Fenton’s petition received more than the required threshold of her coworkers’ signatures to trigger the process for the NLRB to schedule a decertification vote. On March 12, the NLRB approved an agreement scheduling the election for March 30 among “[a]ll full-time and regular part-time tellers, personal bankers, relationship bankers, and premier bankers.”
However, shortly before the election, CWA union officials – who operate under the pseudonym “Wells Fargo Workers United” [sic] – announced they were no longer seeking to remain in power at the bank branch, presumably to avoid a lopsided loss at the ballot box. On March 27, the NLRB acknowledged the CWA union’s “disclaimer of interest,” leaving the Spring Hill Wells Fargo employees officially free of the unwanted union.
Florida is a Right to Work state, meaning union officials cannot impose contract provisions that require workers to pay money to the union as a condition of getting or keeping a job. In contrast, in non-Right to Work states, union officials can have workers fired for refusing to pay union dues or fees. However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work states, union bosses can still impose one-size-fits-all contracts over all employees in a workplace, even those who are opposed to the union’s presence. Following the union’s disclaimer, Spring Hill Wells Fargo employees are now free of the CWA’s exclusive representation powers.
Wells Fargo Workers Across Country Seeking Escape From CWA Union Ranks
The Spring Hill bankers are the second group of Wells Fargo employees to successfully boot out CWA officials, following union officials’ aggressive campaign in recent years to unionize the bank. Apex, NC, Wells Fargo employees voted out the union in a landslide earlier this month. Foundation staff attorneys are currently assisting Casper, WY, Wells Fargo workers in obtaining another decertification vote against the union.
“CWA union bosses’ campaign at Wells Fargo started with great fanfare, but now, when faced with the reality of the CWA’s so-called ‘representation,’ employees across the country seem to be coming to the conclusion that they would be better off without the union,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Wells Fargo workers should not hesitate to contact Foundation attorneys for free legal aid in seeking a union decertification vote if they feel CWA union officials have been incompetent, unresponsive, or just haven’t served their interests.
“More broadly, the NLRB should push forward on reforming labor regulations to ensure that workers can freely exercise their right to vote out union officials who act opportunistically or coercively,” Mix added.
Overwhelming Majority of Wyoming Wells Fargo Bank Branch Employees Back Petition for Vote to Remove CWA Union Bosses
Wells Fargo employees across the country moving to terminate union affiliation
Casper, WY (March 25, 2026) – Employees at Wells Fargo’s Casper branch have filed a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) seeking a “decertification” election to remove the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union bosses from their workplace. The workers’ efforts are spearheaded by Megan Wright, who filed the petition with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, a task that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Wright’s petition was signed by the vast majority of her Wells Fargo coworkers, easily surpassing the required threshold of signatures needed for the NLRB to schedule a decertification vote.
The workers’ petition requests the NLRB schedule a secret ballot election among all full-time and regular part-time tellers, personal bankers, relationship bankers, and branch operations coordinators employed by Wells Fargo at a Casper, WY branch. The workers will vote on whether to remove the so-called “Wells Fargo Workers United” union (an affiliate of the CWA union).
“CWA union officials have not made our workplace better and we are confident we would be better off without them,” stated Wright. “At this point we simply want an election so we can vote to take back our branch.”
Wyoming is one of the 26 states with Right to Work protections that safeguard workers from being forced to pay union dues or fees under threat of termination. However, even under Right to Work, union bosses can impose monopoly bargaining control over all employees in a workplace, including those who are opposed to the union’s representation. A successful decertification would end union officials’ monopoly bargaining powers.
The Casper, WY workers’ decertification effort comes almost a week after the Foundation assisted Wells Fargo employees in Spring Hill, FL, file a petition to remove CWA from their branch. The NLRB has scheduled the Spring Hill election for March 30. In yet another decertification effort, last week Wells Fargo employees in Apex, NC, overwhelmingly voted to remove the CWA union from their branch.
“Despite the headlines generated by CWA’s campaign to gain control over Wells Fargo employees, it is increasingly becoming clear to rank-and-file bank employees that they are better off without the CWA’s so-called ‘representation,’” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “The Foundation is proud to be a resource for Ms. Wright and other Wells Fargo employees seeking to exercise their right to free themselves from unwanted unions.
“These Wells Fargo employees are just the latest in an ongoing trend, with NLRB statistics showing a nearly 40% rise in filed decertification petitions over the past five years,” Mix added.
Despite Five Months of Union Delay Tactics, Ohio Dispensary Employees Win Effort to Kick Teamsters Local 413 Union Bosses Out
After Teamsters lawyers were forced to drop meritless “blocking charges,” Labor Board formally revokes Teamsters monopoly bargaining status
Athens, OH (May 1, 2026) – Employees of Herbal Wellness Center have officially freed themselves from unwanted Teamsters Local 413 union bosses after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Regional Director of Region 9 revoked the Teamsters’ certification as the workers’ exclusive monopoly “representative.” The workers’ effort was spearheaded by dispensary employee Todd Cooper, who filed a petition for his coworkers with the NLRB last November seeking a “decertification” election to end the presence of Local 413 union officials at their workplace.
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. The petition was filed with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
Cooper’s petition was backed by the majority of his coworkers, who sought an NLRB-administered secret-ballot election for the 18-member work unit, including all full- and part-time Budtenders, Team Leads, and Receptionists employed at Herbal Wellness Center’s Athens location.
However, before the NLRB could schedule an election, Teamsters union officials filed a series of “blocking charges” in November and December 2025 to prevent the election from taking place. Blocking charges are often meritless allegations of employer misbehaver made by union bosses in order to delay or prevent workers from removing unwanted unions.
Ultimately though, with the pending NLRB investigation of the Teamsters union bosses’ blocking charges likely to find no merit to the Teamsters’ claims, the Teamsters moved to drop the charges rather than have them formally dismissed by the NLRB. With nothing left to block the vote, union officials eventually declined to even contest the election, resulting in the NLRB certifying the union’s ouster on April 22.
Ohio is one of the 24 states that lack Right to Work protections, meaning that Teamsters union bosses can force employees to pay dues or fees as a condition of getting and keeping a job. By contrast, in neighboring Right to Work states like West Virginia and Indiana, union membership and union financial support are strictly voluntary.
“Herbal Wellness Center employees have the protected right, as do all workers in unionized workplaces, to eject union boss ‘representation’ they oppose,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “It is reprehensible that Teamsters officials continue to be allowed to use ‘blocking charges’ to disenfranchise the very workers they claim to ‘represent’ for months or sometimes even years.”
Bradenton Wells Fargo Employees Latest to Force Out CWA Union
Wells Fargo workers across country are seeking to escape from the CWA union, at least four branches already free
Bradenton, FL (May 1, 2026) – Following their request to a federal labor board for a vote to remove the union, employees at the Beachway Plaza Wells Fargo branch have successfully forced Communications Workers of America (CWA) union bosses out of their workplace. Wells Fargo employee Amanda Seda kicked off the union removal effort by submitting a decertification petition backed by her colleagues to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on April 20. Seda filed the petition 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 that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Seda’s petition received more than the required threshold of her coworkers’ signatures to trigger the process for the NLRB to schedule a decertification vote. The petition requested that the NLRB hold the vote on May 14 among “[f]ull-time & regular part-time personal bankers, branch operations coordinators, [and] tellers.”
Only about a week after Seda filed her petition, CWA union officials announced they were “disclaiming interest” in continuing their control over the bank branch. In other words, CWA agents announced they were leaving the Wells Fargo location, likely to avoid an embarrassing lopsided loss at the ballot box.
Florida is a Right to Work state, meaning state law forbids union bosses from enforcing contracts that require workers to pay money to the union to keep their jobs. In contrast, in states that lack Right to Work protections, union bosses can get workers fired for refusing to pay union dues or fees. However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work states, exclusive “representation” privileges in federal labor law grant union officials the power to dictate terms of employment for every employee in a workplace, regardless of whether they voted for or support the union.
Wells Fargo Workers Across America Seeking Escape From CWA Union Ranks
Roughly four years after CWA union officials began a high-profile campaign to unionize Wells Fargo under the moniker “Wells Fargo Workers United,” employee opposition to the union is rising. Foundation staff attorneys are assisting multiple groups of workers across the country with efforts to oust CWA union officials, and some of these efforts have already seen success: After petitioning for union decertification elections, Foundation-backed Wells Fargo employees in Spring Hill, Florida; Seaside Park, New Jersey; and now Bradenton, Florida, are free of the CWA union’s exclusive “representation.” Wells Fargo workers in Apex, North Carolina, also voted out CWA union officials in March.
In addition to the case at Seda’s workplace, the Foundation’s cases for Wells Fargo workers at the Spring Hill and Seaside Park bank branches involved union bosses submitting “disclaimers of interest” shortly after workers began seeking a vote to scrap the union. However, CWA union officials have filed “blocking charges” in an attempt to prevent Foundation-supported Wells Fargo workers in Casper, Wyoming, from having their requested decertification vote. Blocking charges are unproven allegations of employer misconduct that union officials frequently file to stop decertification elections from moving forward. NLRB bureaucrats will often delay decertification elections for months or even years on the basis of union blocking charges, without ever ordering a hearing into the charges’ veracity or connection to worker discontent with the union.
“Wells Fargo employees nationwide are beginning to question how well CWA union officials are actually serving their interests, and many are choosing to exercise their right to vote out unions they oppose,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “While CWA bosses have quietly left some branches rather than face a vote of the employees they claim to ‘represent,’ at other branches they’re using legal maneuvering to try to disenfranchise workers by blocking elections from occurring.
“While Wells Fargo workers should not hesitate to reach out to Foundation attorneys for assistance in seeking to decertify unwanted CWA unions, the Trump NLRB should also seek to reform federal regulations that let union bosses trap workers in union ranks against their will,” Mix added.
Reed & Perrine Lawn Products Workers Escape Union After Fighting Frivolous Union Delay Tactics
After workers requested union removal vote in 2024, union bosses blocked the vote for a year and a half using specious allegations
Manalapan Township, NJ (April 22, 2026) – After a year-and-a-half delay caused by frivolous union legal tactics, employees at Reed & Perrine Lawn Products (a division of The Andersons, Nasdaq: ANDE) have finally succeeded in removing United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 152 union officials from power at their workplace. Reed & Perrine employee Christine Bradach kicked off the effort among her coworkers to remove the UFCW union in November 2024 when she filed a decertification petition at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Bradach received free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys in filing her petition.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing private sector labor law, a task that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Bradach’s petition contained employee signatures well in excess of the threshold required to prompt the NLRB to hold a decertification election. Bradach’s work unit includes production department and shipping department employees at Reed & Perrine Lawn Products.
Almost immediately after Bradach had filed her petition, UFCW union bosses filed so-called “blocking charges” to stop the vote from happening. Blocking charges are unproven allegations of employer misconduct that union officials file in order to delay or derail an employee-requested union decertification election. Blocking charges often have little or nothing to do with employees’ reasons for wanting to vote out a union, yet NLRB officials will frequently delay decertification elections for months or years without even holding a hearing into the charges’ veracity or connection to employee dissatisfaction.
In Bradach’s case, NLRB Region 22 blocked Bradach and her coworkers’ requested vote based on UFCW officials’ blocking charges. Almost a year and a half later, UFCW union officials withdrew the blocking charges – presumably because the NLRB communicated that it would finally dismiss them for having no merit. Immediately after NLRB Region 22 announced it would finally take up Bradach’s petition, UFCW Local 152 officials announced they were “disclaiming interest” in continuing their control over the facility – in other words, leaving the facility immediately to avoid an employee vote that would have likely ended in a lopsided loss for the union.
UFCW Union Officials Continued to Take Dues While Blocking Removal Vote
New Jersey lacks Right to Work protections for its private sector employees. This means UFCW union officials had the power to enforce contracts that required Reed & Perrine employees to pay money to the union or be fired. In contrast, in states that have Right to Work laws, union membership and all union financial support are strictly voluntary.
“My colleagues and I had had it with the UFCW, but they stuck around in the workplace after we made it clear we no longer wanted the union,” commented Bradach. “It’s a farce for them to claim they ‘represented’ us, especially when they were actively trying to block us from just having a vote on whether we wanted to continue with the union. My colleagues and I are glad we’re finally free.”
Trump NLRB Urged to Eliminate ‘Blocking Charge’ Policy
The Foundation has pressed the NLRB for years to end its non-statutory blocking charge policy. The Foundation has instead advocated for a return to the Election Protection Rule, which prevented many aspects of blocking charge-related gamesmanship before the Biden NLRB overturned it in 2022. Under the Election Protection Rule, allegations of misconduct related to a union decertification election could not block employees from exercising their right to vote. In most cases, the Rule permitted the immediate release of the vote tally as opposed to ordering ballots to be impounded during litigation over blocking charges.
“As Ms. Bradach’s case shows all too well, the ‘blocking charge’ policy just incentivizes union officials to act cynically and opportunistically while the rights of the workers they claim to ‘represent’ suffer,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “An approach that is more protective of workers’ rights is found in the Election Protection Rule, which mandates that allegations over interference be dealt with after employees have had a chance to exercise their right to vote.
“The Trump NLRB should work quickly to protect workers’ freedom of choice from restrictive and unreasonable doctrines like the ‘blocking charge’ policy, which serve only to empower union special interests to the detriment of the rights of rank-and-file workers,” added Mix.
Hundreds of Nurses at GWU Hospital Demand Vote to Remove DCNA Union From Power
Federal labor board could hold vote to remove union as soon as next month among unit of nearly 700 healthcare professionals
Washington, DC (April 17, 2026) – Hundreds of registered nurses and healthcare professionals at The George Washington University Hospital are backing a petition to remove District of Columbia Nurses Association (DCNA) union officials from power at the facility. GWU Hospital nurse Elizabeth Abraha, who is leading the effort among her colleagues, submitted a union decertification petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on April 15 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 that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Abraha’s petition was supported by hundreds of her coworkers’ signatures – well over the required threshold to prompt the NLRB to schedule a decertification vote. Abraha’s petition requests the vote take place among her work unit, which includes “[a]ll full-time, regular part-time, and PRN registered nurses” and specialists from several other departments.
The District of Columbia lacks Right to Work protections for its employees, meaning DCNA union officials can enter contracts that force Abraha and her coworkers to pay money to the union as a condition of keeping their jobs. In contrast, in Right to Work states like neighboring Virginia, union membership and all union financial support are strictly voluntary.
The NLRB will now investigate Abraha’s petition. If a majority of those participating in the decertification election vote against the union, DCNA bosses will lose their exclusive bargaining power over a unit of nearly 700 nurses and other healthcare professionals at GWU Hospital. This power allows DCNA officials to dictate work conditions for every worker in the bargaining unit, regardless of whether they voted for or support the union.
“Two years ago, DCNA union officials made all kinds of promises to my coworkers and me. They have not only failed to deliver on them, but have driven a wedge between a lot of my coworkers,” commented Abraha. “We want to exercise our right to vote this union out, and both DCNA union officials and GWU Hospital management should respect our free choice.”
National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys have a track record of successfully helping nurses and other hospital employees remove union hierarchies they oppose. Since 2022, several groups of Foundation-backed hospital employees from Minnesota have escaped union control, including nurses and support staff at Mayo Clinic’s Mankato, MN branch, nurses at Mayo Clinic’s St. James, MN branch, and nurses at Mayo Clinic’s Fairmont, MN location. The Foundation has also issued legal notices to nurses subject to high-profile union strike demands, including a recent Teamsters strike threat covering thousands of Corewell nurses in Michigan and New York City-area nurses subjected to a New York State Nurses Association strike order.
This year, Foundation attorneys also helped a unit of over 300 employees at Windham Community Memorial Hospital in Connecticut vote to remove American Federation of Teachers (AFT) union officials.
“Healthcare professionals at GWU Hospital may feel, as do many healthcare workers who are subject to union control, that union officials haven’t stood up for their interests and have only served as a distraction from providing quality patient care,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Foundation attorneys have assisted many healthcare employees in similar situations. They will fight to ensure that Ms. Abraha and hundreds of her colleagues who provide indispensable care to the DC community everyday have a free and fair opportunity to decide whether DCNA union officials deserve to remain in power at GWU Hospital.”
Mountain West Holding Company Traffic Safety Workers Across Montana Vote LIUNA Union Bosses Out of Power
Employees reject union by over 3-1 margin in vote to free more than 150 workers from union bosses’ forced-dues ranks
Butte, MT (April 6, 2026) – Workers at traffic safety equipment firm Mountain West Holding Company have overwhelmingly voted Laborers International Union (LIUNA) Local 1686 union officials out of power at their Montana workplaces. The final vote tally was 62-19. Employee John Fisher led his colleagues’ effort to free themselves of the union by filing a union decertification petition with the National Labor Relations Board in January. Fisher received free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing private sector labor law, a task that includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Fisher’s petition received more than the required threshold of his coworkers’ signatures to trigger the process for the NLRB to schedule a decertification vote. Pursuant to a stipulated election agreement approved by the NLRB, the decertification vote took place among employees at Mountain West Holding Company’s facilities in Billings, Butte, Bozeman, and Missoula.
Montana lacks Right to Work protections for its workers, meaning that union officials can enforce contracts that force private sector employees to pay money to the union or be fired. In contrast, in Right to Work states like Montana’s neighbors Idaho, Wyoming, South Dakota, and North Dakota, union membership and dues payment are strictly voluntary and the choice of each worker.
Now that Fisher and his colleagues have voted to remove the LIUNA union from their facilities, they are free of union chiefs’ forced-dues power. They are also free of the LIUNA’s exclusive “representation,” a legal privilege that lets union officials dictate work conditions for every employee in a work unit, even those who voted against or otherwise oppose the union.
“LIUNA union officials’ agenda both inside and outside the workplace didn’t resonate with me and a huge number of my coworkers. It was even worse that they could force us to pay them just to keep our jobs,” commented Fisher. “Our overwhelming vote against the union demonstrates pretty clearly that we’d had enough, and we look forward to continuing to support ourselves and our families free of the union.”
LIUNA Rejected by Mountain West Workers Twice in Handful of Years
This isn’t the first time that Mountain West employees have voted to escape the clutches of LIUNA Local 1686. In 2024, a unit of Mountain West equipment operators based in Billings, MT, led by Michael Horsman, voted to decertify the union in a near-unanimous vote. Horsman also received free Foundation legal assistance.
Foundation attorneys have noticed a marked increase in worker requests for help in decertifying unpopular unions. NLRB statistics indicate that in 2025, decertification petition filings were up almost 40 percent from 2020.
“Mr. Fisher and his colleagues sent a strong message to LIUNA union officials with their vote, as their work unit spanned well over 150 workers all across the Big Sky State,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Foundation attorneys were proud to help them exercise their right to free themselves. But it’s outrageous that, despite how heavy the opposition to the union was among his coworkers, LIUNA bosses still had the power to force them to pay dues as a condition of employment.
“Workers in Montana and across America deserve the protection of a Right to Work law, so they can freely decide whether or not union officials at their workplace have earned their financial support,” Mix added.
Canton SA Recycling Employees Scrap Steelworkers Union
Recycling workers voted by over 2-1 margin to remove unpopular union, escape forced union payments
Canton, OH (March 20, 2026) – A group of over 40 employees of SA Recycling in Canton have successfully voted Steelworkers union officials out of power at their facility by a wide margin. SA Recycling worker Leslie Frase spearheaded the effort by filing a petition in February in which her coworkers demanded that the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) hold a union decertification election at their workplace. Frase filed the petition 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 that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Frase’s petition contained more than enough signatures from her coworkers to trigger a decertification vote under NLRB rules. In February, the NLRB approved an agreement that set the election date for March 5, and specified that the vote would take place among “[a]ll full-time and regular part-time production and maintenance employees, including truck drivers.” On March 19, the NLRB certified the vote result, making official the Steelworkers union’s ouster.
Ohio lacks Right to Work protections, meaning Steelworkers union officials had the power to force Frase and her coworkers to pay money to the union hierarchy as a condition of keeping their jobs. In contrast, in Right to Work states like Ohio’s neighbors Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia, union membership and financial support are the voluntary choice of each worker. Now that Frase and her coworkers have voted to decertify the union, Steelworkers union officials have lost their power to impose forced-dues contracts on the workers.
“Steelworkers union officials had been in our workplace for quite a while, and did little to improve our working lives. Yet dues money was still coming out of our paychecks to support union activities,” commented Frase. “The fact that we voted the Steelworkers union out by such a wide margin speaks to the fact that employees didn’t think we were getting a good deal. We are very grateful to Foundation attorneys for their assistance.”
The tally of the March 5 vote showed Frase and her fellow SA Recycling workers voting the Steelworkers out 28-12.
Foundation attorneys have noticed a marked increase in worker requests for help in decertifying unpopular unions. NLRB statistics indicate that in 2025 (the last year for which data is available), decertification petition filings are up almost 40 percent from 2020.
“Foundation attorneys were proud to help Ms. Frase and her fellow recycling employees scrap a Steelworkers union they pretty clearly did not want,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “However, it’s important to recognize that many employees across the United States have a path to voting out a union that is much more difficult: Many arbitrary Biden-era NLRB rules are still in effect, which give union officials a multitude of ways to stop workers from exercising their right to vote.
“Independent-minded workers across the country are teaming up with Foundation staff attorneys to challenge many of these rules, and the Trump Administration should ensure that the NLRB is well-equipped to reshape labor regulations around employee free choice and not union boss power,” Mix added.
Over 100 Windstream North Carolina Employees Vote to Free Themselves of Unwanted CWA Union
Workers across 12 North Carolina locations officially free from CWA officials’ ‘representation’
North Carolina (March 18, 2026) – Employees of telecommunications provider Windstream North Carolina LLC have successfully voted Communications Workers of America (CWA) union officials out of power at their workplaces across North Carolina. Windstream worker Grant Diorio kicked off his coworkers’ effort to oust the union by filing a petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in January, impacting his work unit of roughly 120 Windstream employees. Diorio filed the petition 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 that includes holding votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Diorio’s petition contained more than enough signatures from his coworkers to trigger a decertification vote under NLRB rules. In February, the NLRB approved an agreement that set aside three days for in-person voting at several Windstream locations across the state.
The agreement noted that the vote would take place among “[a]ll employees employed by [Windstream] in its Plant, Commercial, or Traffic Department at its Matthews, Marshville, Wadesboro, Waxhaw, Rockwell, Denton, Mooresville, Tryon, Rural Hall, Monroe, and Aberdeen facilities.”
North Carolina is a Right to Work state, meaning state law forbids CWA bosses and other union officials from forcing workers to pay money to the union just to get or keep a job. Diorio and his coworkers enjoyed these protections, but even in Right to Work states, union officials have exclusive “representation” power, which permits them to impose one-size-fits-all contracts on every worker in a unionized workplace, even those who voted against or otherwise oppose the union.
“Even though my coworkers and I have a variety of jobs for Windstream across North Carolina, we agreed that CWA union bosses were not making our working lives any better,” commented Diorio. “I’m glad that, despite the challenges that come with petitioning for a decertification vote to take place at multiple places across the state, we were able to stand firm, secure our rights, and vote this CWA union out. We look forward to being independent!”
Workers Across Country Seeking Union Decertification, but Biden-Era Policies Stand in the Way
Foundation attorneys have noticed a marked increase in worker requests for help in decertifying unpopular unions. NLRB statistics indicate that in 2025 (the last year for which data is available), decertification petition filings are up almost 40% since 2020.
“Mr. Diorio and his colleagues’ situation is an excellent example of what happens when labor law actually works to protect American employees’ individual rights as opposed to frustrating those rights. We were proud to assist them,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Unfortunately, one only needs to look within the state of North Carolina to find an example of union bosses using biased doctrines within federal labor law to shore up their own power, even when it’s clear that workers want a chance to vote the union out. At The Quartz Corp. in Spruce Pine, United Mine Workers union officials have been manipulating unsubstantiated misconduct charges for months to block workers from having a union removal vote they validly requested.
“Luckily, Foundation attorneys are assisting Quartz Corp. employees and many other groups of independent-minded workers across the country in challenging unfair legal barriers to worker freedom,” Mix added. “The Trump NLRB should break from dysfunctional Biden-era policies and end the biased rules that have undermined workers’ explicit right under federal law to vote out unwanted unions.”
Cannabis Workers Send UFCW Union Packing at Holistic Industries Monson Facility
Majority of workers at plant requested vote to remove union, UFCW bosses fled facility after attempts to block the vote failed
Springfield, MA (February 25, 2026) – Packaging associates and delivery drivers at cannabis company Holistic Industries’ Monson plant have successfully removed United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) union officials from their workplace. The victory comes after a majority of Holistic employees backed a petition asking the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to administer a vote to remove the UFCW union from the facility (also known as a union “decertification” vote).
Scott Browne, a Holistic packaging associate, submitted the petition 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 that includes holding votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions.
Rather than face a potentially lopsided loss at the ballot box, UFCW union officials instead submitted correspondence February 20 disclaiming interest in continuing their exclusive “representation” powers over the Holistic Industries workers.
Because Massachusetts lacks Right to Work protections for its private sector workers, UFCW officials were empowered to require Browne and his colleagues to pay union dues or fees as a condition of getting or keeping a job. In contrast, in Right to Work states, union membership and all union financial support are strictly voluntary and the choice of each individual worker.
However, in both Right to Work and non-Right to Work states, union bosses’ government-granted exclusive representation powers let them control the working conditions of all workers in a unionized workplace, even those who voted against or otherwise oppose the union. Browne and his colleagues are now free from UFCW bosses’ forced-dues demands and exclusive representation powers.
UFCW Union Officials Filed Specious Charges to Block Ouster Vote
Browne’s petition, which he submitted in June 2025, contained employee signatures well in excess of the necessary threshold to trigger the decertification election, but UFCW union officials filed so-called “blocking charges” with the NLRB in July 2025 in an attempt to block the vote and cling to power.
Regional NLRB officials blocked the vote for months at union bosses’ behest. Foundation attorneys filed a Request for Review with the NLRB in Washington, DC, arguing that the NLRB’s current policy surrounding blocking charges allows unsubstantiated and unrelated claims of employer interference – like those in the charges UFCW chiefs filed – to block workers’ right to vote on a union. The filing requested that the blocking charge policy be overturned.
“The blocking charge policy allows the Board to arbitrarily refuse to process an election, which undermines employees’ statutory rights and free choice,” Browne’s Request for Review read.
However, after litigation between Holistic Industries management and UFCW officials over the blocking charges wrapped up this month, UFCW union bosses disclaimed interest in Browne’s unit, likely aware that they would not win the decertification election.
“We at the Foundation are proud to have helped Mr. Browne and his colleagues escape the monopoly power of UFCW union officials,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “But there’s no reason that UFCW bosses should have been able to delay this result for the better part of a year.”
“The current NLRB’s ‘blocking charge’ rules, created during the Biden-era NLRB, allow union officials to use unsubstantiated and unrelated claims of so-called unfair labor practices to trap workers in union ranks,” added Mix. “Trump’s new appointees to the NLRB must work swiftly to reform the agency’s standards to better protect the rights of workers to remove unions as they wish.”
