Oregon Fred Meyer Grocery Store Worker Prevails Over Illegal UFCW Local 555 Strike Fine
UFCW union bosses abandon attempt to collect nearly $1,000 from worker for supposedly working four hours during strike
Portland, OR (April 16, 2026) – Portland-area Fred Meyer grocery store employee Robert Wendelschafer has prevailed in his nearly two-year dispute with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 555 union officials. Wendelschafer filed federal charges against UFCW Local 555 after union bosses targeted him with a strike fine for exercising his right to continue working during a union boss-ordered strike action in 2024.
The charges were filed, with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, with National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Region 19 in early 2025. The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act and adjudicating disputes between employers, unions, and individual employees.
Wendelschafer exercised his legal right to resign UFCW union membership in order to continue working on August 30, 2024. However, UFCW officials claimed the resignation letter was not delivered until after he had returned to work for four hours.
UFCW bosses then apparently attempted to use this supposed four-hour delay as a technicality to justify a fine for $992, announced in a December 2024 letter, after finding him “guilty” of violating internal UFCW rules. Longstanding law says union bosses cannot impose “union discipline” against workers who are not voluntary union members. Such discipline frequently takes the form of four- or five-figure monetary fines payable to union boss-controlled funds.
Eventually, faced with pending Unfair Labor Practice charges at the NLRB, UFCW Local 555 union officials backed down and rescinded their strike fine. At that point, with the union recognizing his resignation and no longer attempting to fine Wendelschafer, the NLRB decided not to move forward with the case against the UFCW.
Wendelschafer is one of many workers who have turned to the Foundation in recent years when faced with unlawful fines and/or fine threats by UFCW officials. In Colorado, Foundation staff attorneys assisted over a dozen King Soopers and Safeway grocery store employees after UFCW Local 7 sought to retaliate against workers who resigned their union memberships to continue working during a series of union-ordered strikes.
“We are pleased to have been able to defend Mr. Wendelschafer against UFCW union bosses’ attempts to punish him for exercising his legal rights,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “That union officials even attempted to claim that a four-hour delay in the delivery of a membership resignation letter should warrant ‘union discipline’ fines that amount to over $200 per hour is yet another demonstration that union boss greed and vindictiveness against rank-and-file workers has no limit.
“All American workers wishing to continue to work to support themselves and their families should be able to do so freely without illegal retaliation from union bosses,” added Mix.
Windham Community Memorial Hospital Employees Vote Overwhelmingly to Remove AFT Union ‘Representation’
Despite last-ditch effort by teacher union lawyers to overturn vote, over 300 hospital employees are officially union free
Willimantic, CT (April 7, 2026) – Employees at Windham Community Memorial Hospital are officially free from the unwanted “representation” of American Federation of Teachers (AFT) Local 5099 union officials. Following an initial delay, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) certified the result, after an overwhelming majority of the Hospital’s workers voted to “decertify” the union in a February secret ballot vote.
The decertification effort was spearheaded by Windham Hospital employee Sara Doner, who received free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys during the decertification process.
NLRB Region 1 certified the election results, officially ending AFT union bosses’ exclusive monopoly representation of the Windham Community Memorial Hospital employees. 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.
Days after the landslide 168-70 vote to remove the union, AFT filed objections with the NLRB, seeking to overturn the workers’ election result. However, AFT union officials soon reversed course and dropped their objections, perhaps recognizing the futility of their efforts to maintain monopoly control of the employees after the overwhelming statement sent by the one-sided result.
Connecticut is one of 24 states that lack Right to Work protections for workers, which means that prior to the decertification, AFT union bosses were empowered to impose monopoly bargaining contracts that force employees to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment. By contrast, in Right to Work states, union membership and union financial support are strictly voluntary.
“Headed by longtime top boss Randi Weingarten, the AFT is best known for the divisive role union officials have played undermining student and taxpayer interests in the classrooms of public schools nationwide,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “While lesser known, the targets of AFT union boss coercion also includes thousands of healthcare providers.
“We are pleased to have been able to assist this group of hundreds of Windham Community Memorial employees as they exercise their legal right to send AFT union bosses packing, and we encourage anyone else – whether educator or healthcare worker – trapped under AFT control they oppose to reach out for legal aid,” Mix added.
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.”
Florida Wells Fargo Bank Branch Employees to Vote In Election Over Whether to Remove CWA Union Bosses from Workplace
In response to workers’ petition, the National Labor Relations Board has scheduled a “decertification” vote to end union affiliation
Spring Hill, FL (March 16, 2026) – Employees at Wells Fargo’s Spring Hill 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 Virginia Fenton, who filed the petition with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), 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 secret-ballot election for the workers on Monday, March 30.
The workers’ election to remove the so-called “Wells Fargo Workers United” union (an affiliate of the CWA union) will include all full-time and regular part-time tellers, personal bankers, relationship bankers, and premier bankers employed by Wells Fargo at its Spring Hill branch.
“Since the union came into our branch back in 2024, we’ve come to see how much they overpromised and never delivered,” stated Fenton. “We are sure that we will manage better without them.”
Florida is one of the 26 states with a Right to Work law that guarantees workers cannot be fired for refusing to pay union dues or fees. However, even under Right to Work, union bosses can still impose monopoly bargaining control over all employees in a workplace, even those who are opposed to the union’s representation. A successful decertification would end the union’s monopoly bargaining powers.
“The Foundation is pleased to be able to assist Ms. Fenton and her coworkers as they move to exercise their rights under the NLRA,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “No American worker should be forced to affiliate with a union they oppose.”
Labor Board to Prosecute UFCW Local 7 for Illegally Imposing Fines on King Soopers Workers Who Refused to Strike
UFCW Local 7 has long history of illegal fines and threats against nonmembers during union strikes against both King Soopers and Safeway
Denver, CO (March 13, 2026) – The federal labor board is prosecuting the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 7 union for unlawfully threatening workers with fines for not participating in UFCW union officials’ 2025 strike orders. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) issued a complaint against the union after several employees of Colorado King Soopers and Safeway locations slammed the union with federal charges. These charges, filed with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, challenged fines union bosses issued simply because employees chose to work.
The NLRB’s complaint responds specifically to unfair labor practice charges filed by Ryan Lamb and Lucas Martin, both of whom were employees of a Centennial, CO, King Soopers. Both Lamb and Martin maintained in their charges that they resigned their union memberships and returned to work during the 2025 strike ordered by UFCW bosses. Even though the union had no basis on which to discipline them because they were not union members, their charges stated, UFCW agents still assessed fines against them and demanded they appear at internal union “trials.”
The NLRB is the agency responsible for enforcing the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the federal law that governs labor relations in the private sector. The NLRA forbids unions from imposing internal union discipline on workers who are not members. However, the NLRA still permits union officials to extend their exclusive “representation” powers over every worker in a workplace, even those who have refrained from union membership and oppose the union’s agenda.
Colorado also lacks Right to Work protections for its workers. In the state, private sector employees can be forced to pay money to the union as a condition of getting or keeping a job. In contrast, in Right to Work states, like Colorado’s neighbors Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Kansas, and Oklahoma, union membership and union financial support are strictly voluntary and the choice of each individual worker.
Supermarket Employees’ Charges Against UFCW Local 7 Piling Up
The NLRB’s complaint notes that UFCW Local 7 imposed fines on Martin and Lamb “even though the employees had previously tendered valid membership resignations to [the union] and were not members of [the union].” The complaint declares that such behavior “restrain[s] and coerc[es] employees in the exercise of the rights guaranteed in Section 7 of the [NLRA].” The case will now go before an NLRB Administrative Law Judge (ALJ).
Foundation attorneys are currently representing eight employees of Colorado Safeway supermarkets who are charging UFCW Local 7 union officials with subjecting them to illegal fine threats in connection with 2025 strike actions. These cases are very similar to those Foundation attorneys took on for several workers in 2022, who faced impositions of sometimes thousands of dollars in fines from the same union hierarchy simply for continuing to do their jobs during a strike.
“UFCW Local 7 union officials continue to defy basic principles of federal labor law, and now they are facing a federal prosecution,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Foundation staff attorneys are proud to help Colorado grocery store workers defend themselves from coercive UFCW schemes, and this victory should signal to workers not only that UFCW bosses’ agenda often kneecaps workers’ rights, but also that workers have options to continue to work during a strike.”
Two Groups of Sofitel DC Lafayette Square Hotel Employees Officially Win Efforts to Free Themselves of Unwanted Unions
Despite extended union-instigated delays, around 80 employees have formally removed Unite Here and IUOE union bosses from their workplace
Washington, DC (March 12, 2026) – Two separate groups of employees of Sofitel Washington DC Lafayette Square have prevailed in their battle to free themselves from the “representation” of Unite Here Local 25 and International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 99 union officials. Their victories were cemented after the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) officially certified the results of their votes to remove the unions.
Sofitel Lafayette employee Mwandu Chibwe spearheaded the Unite Here “decertification” effort for the more than 60 food service workers, front of house workers, room attendants, and other hospitality workers. The engineers’ and painters’ decertification of IUOE Local 99 was led by Yuri Lishchenko. Both workers received free legal aid from the National Right to Work Foundation.
The NLRB, the federal agency responsible for administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions, certified Chibwe’s election on March 11, and Lishchenko’s election on March 10. Both groups are now free from the unwanted presence of union bosses in their workplace, despite Unite Here and IUOE union bosses’ attempts to disenfranchise the workers by filing charges against Sofitel Lafayette management with NLRB Region 5.
Union Bosses Abused NLRB System to Delay Employees’ Decertification Votes
Chibwe and her colleagues were trapped for years by Unite Here Local 25 after successfully voting in June 2024 to remove the union. Rather than respect the outcome of the election, Unite Here officials challenged the election by filing “blocking charges” against the hotel’s management and objections to the election result.
Blocking charges, in which union officials allege employer misbehavior, are a common tactic abused by union officials to delay or prevent workers from removing unwanted unions. Those charges were only withdrawn by Unite Here in January 2026 when it likely became clear its officials lacked the evidence necessary to support the charge.
Despite Unite Here’s charges lacking the evidence needed to overturn the workers’ vote, Chibwe’s election remained in limbo for two months until union officials dropped their objections to the election results this week, allowing the workers’ vote removing Unite Here to finally be certified by the NLRB.
Lishchenko and his coworkers petitioned the NLRB in June of 2025 for their election. However, due to the IUOE filing blocking charges against Sofitel, it took until March 2, 2026, for the workers to vote. The election took place after the NLRB investigated the IUOE’s charges and dismissed them, finding they were without merit.
“We are pleased to have been able to help Ms. Chibwe, Mr. Lishchenko, and their colleagues in freeing themselves from unwanted union bosses,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “It is appalling, though not surprising, that union bosses frequently move to disenfranchise and trap workers in their rank-and-file rather than accept that they are no longer wanted by workers they purport to ‘represent.’
“This situation shows how the NLRB currently allows unproven union legal claims that lack any evidence to keep workers trapped in unions they oppose for months or years at a time,” Mix added. “We hope President Trump’s new appointees to the NLRB promptly take steps to defend workers against the rampant abuse of the current ‘blocking charge’ policy by union bosses seeking to disenfranchise employees opposed to unionization.”
St. HOPE Charter School Teachers Win Effort to Remove Union Officials From Power
Having failed to stop decertification vote requested by majority of teachers, Sacramento City Teachers Association union bosses concede defeat and leave
Sacramento, CA (March 5, 2026) – Following an effort in which a majority of teachers demanded a vote to remove the union, charter school educators at St. HOPE Public Schools have successfully ousted Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA) union officials from the school system.
Rather than face a union decertification vote that a federal labor board had scheduled to take place on March 11, SCTA union bosses instead disclaimed interest in maintaining their exclusive representation powers over the St. HOPE educators. Now, over 50 teachers from PS7 Elementary School, PS7 Middle School, and Sacramento Charter High School are free of the unwanted union’s control.
St. HOPE teacher Beth Simonton led the removal effort, submitting a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in January requesting a vote to remove the union. The NLRB is the agency responsible for enforcing private sector labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Private organizations like St. HOPE, even if they operate public charter schools, are often subject to federal labor law as opposed to state labor laws.
Simonton’s petition, which she submitted in January with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, contained signatures from the majority of her colleagues – well over the threshold needed under federal law to trigger a union decertification vote. On February 25, NLRB Region 20 rejected arguments by the union and ordered a union decertification election to take place among the St. HOPE educators.
Then, only days before the scheduled election, SCTA union officials sent correspondence announcing that they were ending their monopoly bargaining control over the facility, likely in an attempt to avoid an embarrassing lopsided loss at the ballot box. St. HOPE teachers are now free of SCTA union bosses’ power to dictate their contract terms and work rules.
“I’m truly grateful that my colleagues and I were able to band together and send SCTA union officials on their way,” commented Simonton. “So much of their activity at St. HOPE involved pitting teachers against each other and finding ways to bend the rules so they could maintain their control. They did not represent the interest of the educators at St. HOPE, and we look forward to being independent from the union. We are FAMILY!”
NLRB Order: CA Charter Schools Aren’t Exempt From Federal Labor Law
As litigation over the scheduled vote went on, NLRB Region 20 notably rejected arguments from SCTA union lawyers that the St. HOPE system is a “political subdivision” subject to the California Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) and not the NLRB. Union officials prefer operating under the PERB, where rules are rigged against workers seeking decertification, effectively letting union legal tactics trap employees in union ranks for years even when a majority is on record as wanting the union removed.
In rejecting the union’s argument, NLRB officials turned to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in Natural Gas Utility District of Hawkins County v. NLRB, under which an employer is a “political subdivision” only if it was directly created by the state, or if it is administered by individuals who are accountable to the public or public officials.
Applying this standard, NLRB Region 20 found that a private individual founded St. HOPE, and that public officials have little, if any, control over St. HOPE’s board of directors. For those reasons, the Regional Director ruled that “[St. HOPE] is an employer within the meaning of Section 2(2) of the [National Labor Relations Act] and is not exempt under the test set forth in Hawkins County.”
While SCTA union officials fled St. HOPE Public Schools before the NLRB-ordered vote could take place, NLRB Region 20’s ruling could be significant going forward for employees of other California charter schools who wish to decertify unions in their workplaces. Foundation attorneys have helped charter school employees in a number of other states in efforts at the NLRB to remove unwanted unions, including in Missouri and New York.
CA Charter School Teachers Have More Options to Escape Unions
“Ms. Simonton and her fellow St. HOPE educators should be commended for their success in breaking free from SCTA union officials,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “But their effort – which also included attempts years ago to vote SCTA out – exposes how focused California labor law is on solidifying union boss power, even in the face of clear evidence that workers want a union gone.
“Bureaucrats on the California PERB blocked the St. HOPE teachers from ousting the union for years on end, simply because SCTA union bosses filed unsubstantiated charges of employer misconduct,” Mix added. “These charades forced Simonton and her coworkers to resort to an entirely different agency in the hopes of finally making their voices heard.
“No workers should have to face challenges like this simply to vote a union out,” Mix continued. “But, following St. HOPE educators’ success, charter school educators across the Golden State should know they have more options for seeking a union decertification election, and should not hesitate in contacting Foundation attorneys if they want to exercise this important right.”
National Labor Relations Board Schedules Vote for St. HOPE Charter School Teachers Seeking to Remove SCTA Union
Despite union’s legal attempt to block vote, NLRB schedules election for March 11 in response to majority-backed petition from teachers to decertify union
Sacramento, CA (March 2, 2026) – In response to a petition from the majority of St. HOPE Public Schools educators requesting such a vote, a federal labor board has ordered an election to remove Sacramento City Teachers Association (SCTA) union officials from the school system to take place on Wednesday, March 11. The vote will take place among over 50 teachers from PS7 Elementary School, PS7 Middle School, and Sacramento Charter High School.
In January, St. HOPE educator Beth Simonton submitted a petition to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), asking the federal agency to administer a vote to end SCTA union bosses’ exclusive representation powers over her and her colleagues. The NLRB is the agency responsible for enforcing private sector labor law, a task that includes administering votes to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Private organizations like St. HOPE that operate public charter schools are generally subject to federal labor law.
Simonton’s petition, which she submitted with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, contained signatures from the majority of her colleagues – well over the threshold needed under federal law to trigger a union decertification vote. Following a hearing conducted January 26-28, NLRB Region 20 issued an order on February 25 ordering an election to be held.
“SCTA union officials have been extremely divisive and have not had a positive impact on teachers, students, or the St. HOPE community as a whole,” commented Simonton. “They’ve spent much more time trying to demonize school leadership than simply standing up for our interests. I’m proud to represent the majority of educators at St. HOPE who are standing up and saying ‘enough is enough.’”
NLRB Rejects Union Argument That St. HOPE is Exempt From Federal Labor Law
NLRB Region 20’s election order notably rejected arguments from SCTA union lawyers that the St. HOPE system is actually a “political subdivision” under the jurisdiction of California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) and not subject to the NLRB. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in Natural Gas Utility District of Hawkins County v. NLRB that an employer qualifies as such a “political subdivision” only if it was directly created by the state, or if it is administered by individuals who are accountable to the public or public officials.
The election order points out that a private individual founded St. HOPE and that public officials have little, if any, control over St. HOPE’s board of directors. “I find that [St. HOPE] is an employer within the meaning of Section 2(2) of the [National Labor Relations Act] and is not exempt under the test set forth in Hawkins County,” the NLRB Regional Director’s decision reads. “Accordingly, I am directing an election among the employees in the agreed upon appropriate unit.”
The Foundation has aided numerous charter school employees over the years in opposing unwanted union hierarchies. Elsewhere in California, charter school teachers at Gompers Preparatory Academy in San Diego sought Foundation aid in obtaining a vote to remove San Diego Education Association (SDEA) union officials from the school. After two such efforts to remove the union (one in 2019 and another in 2023) and much litigation over SDEA union bosses’ delay tactics, the educators finally voted the SDEA out in 2023.
“We at the Foundation are proud to assist St. HOPE educators in finally getting a chance to exercise their right to vote SCTA union officials out of power at their schools,” commented National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “But it’s ridiculous that it took a herculean effort and several years for St. HOPE teachers just to get to this point. Biased bureaucrats at the California PERB blocked them from having a union removal vote for several years based on dubious allegations of employer misconduct – and St. HOPE educators are hardly the only workers in California that PERB has subjected to such stonewalling.
“We hope that Ms. Simonton’s effort is not only the first step in St. HOPE educators freeing themselves from SCTA union chiefs, but also the first step toward freeing California educators from the oppressive California labor bureaucracy,” Mix added.
