OPEIU union bosses failed to follow federal law and Beck Supreme Court precedent, ignored and obstructed employee for exercising his rights
Minneapolis, MN (October 14, 2026) – William Kocke, an employee of CenterPoint Energy, has filed unfair labor practice charges against Office and Professional Employees International (OPEIU) Local 12. The charges state that OPEIU union officials ignored and obstructed Kocke when he attempted to exercise his right to refrain from union membership and his right to pay less than full union dues under the National Right to Work Foundation-won Communication Workers v. Beck U.S. Supreme Court decision.
Kocke filed the charges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
In April 2026, Kocke reached out to union officials inquiring about how to opt out of union membership. After having received no response for almost a month, he sent a registered letter to union President Devin Hogan informing him of his intentions to be a Beck objector. Instead of honoring his request and sending him the required financial disclosures, Hogan insisted that Kocke sign a membership form without Beck language. When Kocke refused, Hogan told him he would need to fill out a so-called “Beck objector form,” but claimed that form was not yet ready.
Under the Foundation-won Beck decision, union officials are prohibited from requiring workers who opt out of union membership to pay dues for anything beyond the union’s monopoly bargaining functions. Such expenses include members-only activities and union officials’ spending on politics and lobbying.
Because Minnesota lacks Right to Work protections for its private sector workers, union officials can enforce contracts that require workers to pay money to the union or be fired. However, this “pay-up-or-be-fired” power is limited by Beck.
After nearly a month of no response, Hogan sent Kocke an incorrect link to a union membership form instead of the “Beck objector form,” and subsequently sent him an undetailed, inadequate financial report claiming that nearly 90 percent of his union dues were required to keep his job.
On August 13th, Kocke again attempted to assert his Beck rights, requesting only to pay for monopoly bargaining activities, and again asked for a complete financial report along with a copy of his union membership and dues check-off authorization. Although union officials received his request, they refused to respond and deducted the full dues amount out of his paycheck.
“Time after time, union officials ignore their legal obligations and abuse the rights of hardworking people just to fill their coffers,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Mr. Kocke’s experience is not an isolated case, but is one Foundation staff attorneys see repeated across the country.
“Cases like this show why all workers need Right to Work protections, so all union financial support is fully voluntary and every employee gets to decide for themselves whether union officials deserve a portion of their hard-earned paycheck,” added Mix.
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, assists thousands of employees in about 200 cases nationwide per year.
