Union Bosses Levy Retaliatory Strike Fine Against Worker After Telling Him to Continue Working During Strike

Kansas City, MO (May 9, 2012) – A Honeywell nuclear assembly worker has filed a federal charge against a local union for retaliating against him with a $7,361.36 fine for exercising his right to refrain from union membership and continue to do his job during a union boss-instigated strike.With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, Daniel Gudde filed the charge with the National Labor Relations Board regional office in Overland Park, Kansas on Friday.Gudde began working at Honeywell in late September believing he had to join the International Association of Machinist (IAM) Local Lodge 778 union. In early October, IAM Local 778 union officials instigated a strike. Gudde and three of his coworkers were unsure if they had to go on strike as union members or if they had to fulfill a required 30 day probationary period of employment.

U.S. Appeals Court Rejects Obama Administration Stance in Case Challenging Backroom Union Deals

Hollywood, FL (May 3, 2012) – The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has shot down the Obama Administration's attempt to roll back a worker's protracted, precedent-setting legal victory against a local union.The case is a legal challenge initiated by Hollywood, Florida-area Mardi Gras Gaming groundskeeper Martin Mulhall with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation.In 2008, Mardi Gras entered into an agreement with Unite Here Local 355 union officials promising that it would hand over employees' personal contact information (including home addresses), grant union operatives access to company facilities for the purpose of organizing through a coercive card check campaign, and refrain from speaking about the downsides of unionization. In return, the Unite Here officials expended over one hundred thousand dollars to support a gambling ballot initiative and guaranteed not to picket, boycott, or strike the facility.

Civil Servants Appeal Wisconsin Public-Sector Unionism Case to Federal Appeals Court

Madison, WI (May 1, 2011) – Three Wisconsin public employees have asked a federal appeals court to uphold all of Governor Scott Walker's public-sector unionism reform measures, known as "Act 10," in the latest development regarding the ongoing court saga.With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, Pleasant Prairie English teacher Kristi Lacroix, Waukesha high school teacher Nathan Berish, and trust fund specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds Ricardo Cruz filed their appeal late last week supporting the reforms which limited government union officials' monopoly bargaining power over public workers and taxpayers.

Latino Express Bus Drivers Tell Teamster Union Bosses to Hit the Road

Lyons, IL (April 26, 2012) – A large majority of Latino Express bus drivers in Lyons, Illinois have petitioned the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional office in Chicago for a secret-ballot election to remove an unwanted local Teamster union hierarchy from their workplace.Led by Ramiro Lopez, who learned about his legal rights from the National Right to Work Foundation, over 50 of the 76 total drivers signed the petition.Teamster Local 777 seized monopoly bargaining control over the workplace a year ago. However, Teamster union bosses have yet to negotiate a contract with Latino Express, a conflict that has resulted in union legal accusations against the company and picketing of the workplace, alienating workers.

Obama’s Controversial NLRB ‘Recess’ Appointments Challenged in Federal Appeals Court

Washington, DC (April 26, 2012) – National Right to Work Foundation attorneys filed two appeals with the U.S. Appeals Court for the Seventh Circuit in Chicago to challenge President Barack Obama's recent purported recess appointees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).The appeals stem from two cases, Richards, Yost, & Echegaray v. Steelworkers and Lugo v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, in which union bosses illegally forced workers to annually renew their objections to paying full union dues. Such schemes, designed to force workers into full-dues-paying union membership, are a clear violation of federal law and the NLRB found that to be the case here.

Unionized Probation Officers Win Refunds in Federal Suit over Free Speech Rights

Rochester, NY (April 24, 2012) – Four Monroe County probation officers have won relief in their protracted federal legal battle against two government unions for violating their First Amendment rights.The four officers, led by David Scheffer, filed the suit with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys.The probation officers sued Civil Service Employees Association (CSEA) union and the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union for deliberately violating their First Amendment rights by seizing forced union dues from their paychecks for illegal union expenditures. The officers charged that union officials were spending their forced dues on union organizing drives, despite the officers' objections.

Obama Administration Sides with Union Bosses Over Workers in Federal Court Case on Backroom Union Deals

Hollywood, FL (April 19, 2012) – The Obama administration is weighing in on a worker’s protracted, precedent-setting federal legal victory against a local union and Mardi Gras Gaming.The case stems from a legal challenge initiated by Mardi Gras Gaming groundskeeper Martin Mulhall with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation.In 2008, Mardi Gras officials entered into an agreement with Unite Here Local 355 union officials promising that they would hand over employees' personal contact information (including home addresses), grant union operatives access to company facilities for the purpose of organizing through a coercive card check campaign, and refrain from speaking about the downsides of unionization. In return, Unite Here Local 355 union officials expended over one hundred thousand dollars to support a gambling ballot initiative and guaranteed not to picket, boycott, or strike against the facility.

Another Osceola Hospital Employee Comes Forward, Hits SEIU with Federal Charge

Kissimmee, FL (April 19, 2012) – An Osceola Regional Medical Center employee has joined two of her colleagues and filed a federal charge against a major healthcare union for repeatedly violating federal law by refusing to allow her and her coworkers to exercise their right to refrain from dues-paying union membership under Florida's popular Right to Work law.With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, the worker filed the charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).In December 2011, she sent a letter notifying Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East officials that she was exercising her right to resign from union membership. Instead of acknowledging her request, SEIU officials rejected her letter because it was not "timely." Moreover, the union continues to confiscate union dues from the workers's paycheck.

Auto Parts Worker Wins Settlement after Union Threatened to have him Fired

Wooster, OH (April 12, 2012) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, a ArtiFlex Manufacturing employee has won a settlement from a local union for violating his and his coworkers’ rights. In October 2011, Shreve-based United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-801 union officials illegally threatened Dave Monahan and his colleagues with termination if they refused to formally join the union. Union officials neglected to inform Artiflex workers of their rights to refrain from formal union membership and the payment of full union dues. In the Right to Work Foundation’s Communications Workers v. Beck Supreme Court case, the Court held that union officials cannot compel nonmember workers to pay the portion of union dues used for political, lobbying, and member-only activities.

Cleaning Service Union Sweeps Workers’ Rights Under the Rug

Boston, MA (April 6, 2012) – Workers caught in a battle between a local union and Lynn-based Complete Cleaning, Inc. are fighting back.With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, Jairo Hernandez of Lynn filed federal charges against Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 615 after union officials claimed to have monopoly bargaining privileges over the workplace with only a handful of signatures from workers supporting the union.Hernandez filed the charges for himself and his coworkers with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional office in Boston.SEIU Local 615 officials claim monopoly bargaining privileges over Complete Cleaning's workers even though workers nearly unanimously oppose the union hierarchy in their workplace. Under federal law, it is illegal for a union to claim monopoly bargaining status over a workplace without majority employee support.