\nNashua, New Hampshire (July 28, 2009)<\/b> \u2013 The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) asking it to investigate charges made by a Nashua-area postal worker who discovered his annual union membership dues were illegally diverted into the union\u2019s political action committee (PAC).\n<\/p>\n
\nIn July 2006, United States Postal Service employee Philip Wakeman paid $429 in membership dues to join the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), a division of the Laborers\u2019 International Union.\u00a0 On the \u201cMemo\u201d line at the bottom of the check, he wrote \u201cUnion Dues.\u201d\u00a0 A union official later acknowledged receipt of the union dues.\n<\/p>\n
\nIn October 2008, over two years after submitting the check to the NPMHU union, a stranger called Wakeman on an unrelated matter and informed him that she found his information on the Internet.\u00a0 The stranger then suggested that he do a \u201cGoogle\u201d Internet search of his name. \u00a0 After doing so, Mr. Wakeman was astounded to find his name disclosed as making a contribution to the NPMHU PAC in the exact amount of his annual NPMHU union membership dues \u2013 all without his knowledge.\n<\/p>\n
\nApparently NPMHU union bosses had illegally diverted his dues payment to the union\u2019s PAC. \u00a0 Mr. Wakeman contacted the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, and Foundation attorneys filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission for him and the Foundation.\n<\/p>\n
It is illegal for union officials to fund union PACs using \u201cdues, fees, or other moneys required as a condition of membership in a labor organization.\u201d\u00a0 NPMHU union bosses are also accused of violating federal election law by making a political campaign contribution in another person\u2019s name and soliciting political contributions under false pretenses while failing to inform Mr. Wakeman that his membership dues would be used for political purposes.\n<\/p>\n
\n\u201cThis union money laundering scheme makes a mockery of the right to political autonomy,\u201d said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. \u00a0 \u201cFoundation attorneys intend to trigger prosecution of this NPMHU union boss political fundraising fraud and an investigation into whether there is a larger scheme afoot. We urge the FEC to take decisive action.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
\nNashua, New Hampshire (July 28, 2009)<\/b> \u2013 The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC) asking it to investigate charges made by a Nashua-area postal worker who discovered his annual union membership dues were illegally diverted into the union\u2019s political action committee (PAC).\n<\/p>\n
\nIn July 2006, United States Postal Service employee Philip Wakeman paid $429 in membership dues to join the National Postal Mail Handlers Union (NPMHU), a division of the Laborers\u2019 International Union.\u00a0 On the \u201cMemo\u201d line at the bottom of the check, he wrote \u201cUnion Dues.\u201d\u00a0 A union official later acknowledged receipt of the union dues.<\/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-2822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n