INDIANAPOLIS, IN -- When Bailiff Steve Eiermann and his fellow security guards at the Federal Courthouse in Indianapolis were ordered to pay dues to local bosses of the United Government Security Officers of America (UGSOA), they said "no way."

"You couldn’t trust them" he told Foundation Action. "They would tell you one thing and then do the exact opposite. They refused to tell us the truth and play on the level."

Not long after Eiermann refused to pay dues, Local 55 officials sent him a letter threatening that if he did not pay $453 in back dues, the union would sue him. "Mr. Eiermann had the courage to stand up to the union bosses who wanted a piece of his paycheck," said Reed Larson, President of the Foundation. "In retaliation, the union bosses came after him."

Union power relies on shakedowns and extortion

Soon after Eiermann received his threatening letter, he learned about similar actions by a UGSOA local in Rockford, Illinois against four other AKAL Security, Inc. employees who refused to bow to the union’s demands.

However, lawsuits by the UGSOA local officials against the Rockford bailiffs were quashed by National Right to Work attorneys (as reported in the May/June edition of Foundation Action).

After hearing of the victory for bailiffs in the Land of Lincoln, Eiermann contacted the Foundation and requested free legal aid. Right to Work attorneys quickly filed charges against UGSOA Local 55 officials for violating the Foundation-won rights of Eiermann and his co-workers.

Smelling defeat, union bosses skip town

Just two weeks after Foundation attorneys filed charges against union officials, a union steward approached Eiermann and said, "You guys win." You see, UGSOA International President James Vissar informed Local 55 officials that the international union was disaffiliating itself from Local 55 and yanked the local union’s charter due to "low participation of the membership."

"Since few of the rank-and-file workers voluntarily support a union, the union bosses resort to shakedowns and threats," said Larson. "This shows how central compulsory unionism abuse is to union power."

Today, the dark cloud of compulsory unionism no longer hangs over the bailiffs at the Indianapolis Federal Courthouse. "There are more than 20 officers here at the courthouse who are really impressed and appreciative of everything the Foundation and its supporters have done for us," said Eiermann.