Lake Buena Vista, FL (October 20, 2014) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a Walt Disney Company driver has filed federal charges against a local Teamsters union and the company for violating his rights.

Lakeland resident Mike Silva filed the unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Teamsters Local 385 and Walt Disney for ignoring his right to refrain from paying union dues. Under Florida’s popular Right to Work law, no worker can be required to join or pay fees to a union as a condition of employment.

Silva, who refrains from union membership, sent two letters to Teamsters Local 385 union officials in August requesting a copy of his dues deduction authorization – a document used by union officials to automatically collect dues from workers’ paychecks. The union officials ignored both letters. Then on September 10, Silva sent Local 385 officials a letter revoking his dues deduction authorization. This letter also got no response.

On September 30, Silva attempted to deliver a copy of the revocation letter to Walt Disney’s Human Resources Department. A Human Resources representative told Silva he could not deliver his letter in person and indicated that she would probably throw away the letter if she received it.

Despite Silva’s repeated efforts to exercise his right to refrain from union dues payments, Walt Disney continues to confiscate full union dues from his paychecks at Teamsters Local 385 union officials’ behest.

Last month, another Walt Disney worker filed a federal charge against Teamsters Local 385 for ignoring his right to refrain from paying union dues.

“Teamster union bosses are refusing to honor workers’ legally-protected right to cut off union dues,” said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “To Teamsters union bosses’ chagrin, federal and state statutory protections for workers still apply in the so-called Magic Kingdom.”

The charge will be investigated by the NLRB regional office in Tampa.

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.