Hartford, Connecticut (July 24, 2008) – Today, National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys are filing a state court lawsuit on behalf of a Connecticut resident who suffered from an ugly campaign of retaliation at the hands of area union officials. The suit alleges that union militants conspired to commit fraud and identity theft in order to bombard Patricia Pelletier with hundreds of mail-order magazines, violating her rights and sticking her with thousands of dollars in subscription and mail order fees.
Because Connecticut lacks a Right to Work law, Pelletier was forced to pay dues to the Communication Workers of America (CWA) Local 1103, as well as accept the union’s workplace representation as a condition of employment. After becoming dissatisfied with the union’s presence, Pelletier initiated a decertification petition to eject the CWA from the workplace. In retaliation, CWA officials apparently conspired to forge Pelletier’s signature on numerous magazine subscriptions. Union militants are also accused of committing identity theft by illegally soliciting business information cards and signing up for advertiser information packages under Pelletier’s name.
These actions resulted in a flood of unwanted magazines and advertisements arriving daily at Pelletier’s doorstep. Not only was Pelletier forced to spend several hours each day canceling individual subscriptions, she was also billed for thousands of dollars by unwitting magazine companies, jeopardizing her credit rating. Pelletier still receives excess mail from a variety of journals and magazines, and her name continues to be circulated through advertiser mailing lists across the country.
In the 31-count suit to be filed today in Hartford Superior Court, Foundation staff attorneys allege that union officials committed identity theft, conspired to forge Pelletier’s signature, inflicted undue emotional distress on Pelletier and her family, and violated Connecticut’s Unfair Trade Practice Act by unlawfully retaliating against Pelletier for attempting to remove the union from her workplace. Foundation attorneys are now seeking damages in excess of $15,000 to compensate Pelletier for CWA union militants’ campaign of retaliation against her.
“Mrs. Pelletier’s plight demonstrates the vicious things union officials will do to punish workers who would rather do without a union,’” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Mrs. Pelletier is guilty of nothing more than helping her coworkers give an unwanted union the boot. And the union bosses’ vicious campaign of harassment and intimidation revealed their true nature.”
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.
