**Cape Canaveral, FL (April 18, 2006)** \u2013 Nine Boeing employees have filed a wave of federal unfair labor practice charges against the International Association of Machinists (IAM) union for unlawful threats of fines for refusing to walk off the job during a union-ordered strike. Union officials also unlawfully failed to inform the launch complex workers of their right to refrain from formal union membership.<\/p>\n
The charges, filed at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with the assistance of National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, allege that IAM union officials illegally told the employees they had to formally join the union as a condition of employment. Additionally, the charges detail that the union is currently attempting to discipline the employees with unlawful fines for continuing to work during a strike that lasted from November 2005 to February 2006. Workers at the facility report that fines from union officials appear imminent, though the amount remains undisclosed.<\/p>\n
\u201cIAM union officials\u2019 policy of bullying dissenting employees cannot go unpunished,\u201d said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. \u201cUnion officials\u2019 thuggish tactics demonstrate how the union hierarchy\u2019s interests are at odds with those of the very employees they claim to represent.\u201d <\/p>\n
The actions of IAM union officials violate workers\u2019 rights recognized under the Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court Communications Workers v. Beck decision. Under Beck and subsequent NLRB rulings, union officials must specifically inform employees of their right to refrain from formal, full dues-paying union membership, and of their right to pay a reduced fee to cover only the union\u2019s collective bargaining costs.<\/p>\n
Foundation attorneys contend that, because the employees were under the impression they had to become formal IAM union members and pay full union dues in order to keep their jobs, they are involuntary union members and thus are not subject to internal union discipline. <\/p>\n
Because the Boeing employees work at the Cape Canaveral launch complex \u2013 which is considered an \u201cexclusive federal enclave\u201d \u2013 they do not enjoy the protections of Florida\u2019s highly-popular Right to Work law. A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
**Cape Canaveral, FL (April 18, 2006)** \u2013 Nine Boeing employees have filed a wave of federal unfair labor practice charges against the International Association of Machinists (IAM) union for unlawful threats of fines for refusing to walk off the job during a union-ordered strike. Union officials also unlawfully failed to inform the launch complex workers […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[888],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2322","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n