Orlando, FL (November 4, 2009) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, a local worker is challenging Teamster officials’ efforts to block several UPS employees from opting out of union dues.
Dean Alamo, a Kissimmee resident and UPS freight employee, filed federal unfair labor practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 385 union and UPS on behalf of himself and similarly situated workers.
In August 2009, Alamo and several other UPS employees resigned from the Teamsters union and attempted to revoke their dues deduction authorizations, which are used by union officials to automatically withhold dues from employee paychecks. Despite employees’ best efforts, union operatives continue to collect full dues from workers who previously resigned from the union. Moreover, Teamster officials have not registered an objection to Alamo’s or any other worker’s dues deduction revocations.
Alamo also requested that UPS and the union notify him if there was a designated window period to opt out of union dues. Both UPS and the Teamsters failed to respond to Alamo’s inquiry.
Alamo’s charges will now be investigated by the NLRB, which can prosecute the union for violating the legal rights of the employees they claim to represent.
“Despite repeated requests, the local Teamster union and the company have ignored workers’ attempts to stop paying union dues” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “We intend to make sure that Teamster operatives play by the rules and stop extorting union dues from unwilling workers.”
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.