Hampstead, MD (June 29, 2005) – With assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, two local factory workers filed federal unfair labor practice charges today against the so called “UNITEHERE” union for failing to inform roughly 140 employees of their rights to withhold payment of union dues for politics, and refrain from formal union membership.

Janice Walsh and Ted Fotiou, on behalf of all similarly situated employees at Joseph A. Bank’s Hampstead distribution facility, charge that “UNITEHERE” officials unlawfully told workers that they must become or remain formal union members in order to keep their jobs. Furthermore, Walsh and Fotiou charge that union officials have been unlawfully deducting forced union dues for politics from their paychecks and refusing to provide legally mandated financial disclosures of union expenditures.

“Union officials want these workers to simply shut up and pay up,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Rather than respect the rights of workers they claim to represent, union officials are bullying workers into bankrolling union politics.”

The actions of “UNITEHERE” union officials violate the rights of employees recognized under the Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court decision, Communications Workers v. Beck. Under Beck and subsequent NLRB rulings, union officials must inform employees of their right to refrain from formal union membership and their right not to be forced to pay for costs unrelated to collective bargaining, such as politics.

Union officials have not simply refused to provide adequate financial audits to objecting non-members while claiming that nonmembers must pay 93% of full dues. The documents that union officials have turned over to Walsh and Fotiou actually prove that “UNITEHERE” officials have been using nonmember dues for legally non-chargeable activities, such as nationwide organizing and “public and international relations.”

The workers also accuse “UNITEHERE” officials of unlawfully requiring employees to annually renew their objections and falsely informing them that they must exhaust internal union appeals before instituting any court or administrative actions to protect their rights.

“These attempts by union officials to run roughshod over workers’ rights show the inevitable greed and corruption that flow from forced unionism,” said Gleason.

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.