Oxnard, Calif. (March 23, 2004) — Employees of PictSweet Mushroom Farms today filed class-action charges with the California Agriculture Labor Relations Board (ALRB) against officials from the United Farm Workers (UFW) union for misrepresenting their rights, unlawfully collecting full union dues from their paychecks, and threatening dissenting workers with loss of benefits.

Obtaining free legal aid from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation attorneys, Guillermo Virgen and Gerardo Mendoza filed the class-action unfair labor practice charges on behalf of roughly 300 workers at the PictSweet plant in Ventura. Foundation attorneys are seeking full remedies for their clients and all employees similarly situated. The ALRB will investigate the charges and decide whether to prosecute the union hierarchy.

The charges come on the heels of the ALRB’s filing of a complaint in December 2003 against the UFW union for unlawfully ordering the mass firings of more than 150 Oxnard-area Coastal Berry employees who refused to pay full union dues in 2000.

“The UFW union hierarchy wants workers simply to shut up and pay up,” said National Right to Work Foundation Vice President Stefan Gleason. “This union hierarchy’s repeated refusal to respect workers’ freedom shows a clear disdain for the people that they claim to represent and for the rule of law.”

Virgen and Mendoza allege that UFW union officials intentionally misled workers by stating that all workers in the bargaining unit were required to pay full union dues as a condition of employment. UFW union officials also unlawfully failed to inform employees of their rights to object to paying for non-collective bargaining activities (such as union electoral politics), and the right to challenge the union’s fee calculations before an impartial decision maker.

Union officials also demanded that workers sign dues check-off cards authorizing the automatic deduction of full union dues from their paychecks in order to keep their jobs. UFW officials then threatened workers with a loss of pension, medical, and other benefits if they failed to pay full dues, and sign payroll deduction authorization cards.

The actions of UFW union officials not only violated the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act, but also unlawfully infringed constitutional rights recognized in several Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court decisions.

“The actions of the recidivist UFW union hierarchy shows the inevitable greed and corruption that flow from forced unionism,” stated Gleason. “Until California’s workers enjoy the protections of a Right to Work law, its workers will continue to suffer such abuse at the hands of self-serving union officials.”

Central Islip, NY (March 18, 2004) – A New York City-area worker today became the first Cintas Corporation employee to file federal charges alleging that heavy-handed union organizers from the Union of Needletrades, Industrial, and Textile Employees (UNITE) have been harassing and intimidating employees in retaliation for their refusal to support the union.

Receiving free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Miguel Sanchez, an employee at Cintas’ Central Islip commercial laundry facility, filed the unfair labor practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board. Sanchez alleges that UNITE union organizers have gained access to personal employee information such as home addresses and phone numbers, and are systematically and illegally bullying him and his coworkers.

Sanchez asserts that while a majority of the workers in the bargaining unit has signed a petition stating a desire to remain union-free, UNITE organizers continue to deceive, harass, and verbally abuse workers who refuse to sign union recognition cards.

“UNITE union organizers are trampling on those very workers they seek to ‘represent’,” stated Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Instead of resorting to these thuggish tactics, union officials ought to simply let these workers decide their union status free of threats and coercion.”

Currently hundreds of UNITE organizers are involved in a national “top-down” organizing drive, also known as a “corporate campaign,” intended to bully Cintas and its employees into accepting compulsory unionism without so much as a government-supervised secret ballot election. In spite of a growing number of voluntary petitions signed by workers in cities ranging from New York City, to Chicago, to San Francisco demanding that UNITE organizers leave them alone, union agents have stepped up their efforts to pressure Cintas and its employees.

UNITE president Bruce Raynor indicated at the January 2003 AFL-CIO-sponsored “organizing summit” that his multi-million dollar “corporate campaign” against Cintas is designed to destroy the company if it refuses to unionize roughly 17,000 of its employees. The union hierarchy wants to deny workers a secret ballot vote, and Raynor admitted that Cintas employees have voted against unionization in 39 different secret-ballot elections. Instead he has deployed hundreds of union organizers for a coordinated campaign that will involve, according to the Bureau of National Affairs, “putting pressure on the company, suing them, getting sued, picketing them and picketing their customers.” “It’s the right thing to do… to break the back of this employer,” Raynor stated.

Alpena, Mich. (March 17, 2004) — Local officials of the Boilermakers union at the Besser Company factory in Alpena have decided to cease collecting forced union dues from nonunion workers rather than provide such workers with a legally mandated audit of how their forced dues are spent.

The decision by the union hierarchy comes in response to unfair labor practice charges filed by James Martin, a Besser Company employee, at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB) Union Local D-472 in September 2003. Martin alleged that IBB union officials illegally continued to charge him full dues after he resigned his formal union membership. They also failed to provide an adequate breakdown of union expenditures to ensure that his forced dues did not fund union activities unrelated to collective bargaining, such as electoral politics.

In a settlement agreement finalized late last week, IBB union officials agreed to post notices at the work site informing workers that they would implement a procedure notifying members of the total amount of dues owed, as well as the reduction objecting nonmembers would receive. Rather than perform the required audit of the union’s books and records, IBB union officials decided to abandon altogether their policy requiring nonmembers to pay any union dues as a condition of employment, and they agreed to notify employees to that effect.

“This union hierarchy decided to forgo raiding the paychecks of nonmembers rather than open their books and subject their dealings to public scrutiny,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation.

The actions of IBB union officials had violated the Foundation-won Communications Workers v. Beck and related U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Under Beck, workers may resign from formal union membership and halt and reclaim the portion of forced union dues spent on activities unrelated to collective bargaining, such as union politics, lobbying, and public relations. Objecting workers are entitled to an independent audit to verify they are not subsidizing such activities.

“No one should be forced to pay compulsory dues to a union, especially when its officials continually abuse that federally granted special privilege,” stated Gleason. “Until all Michigan workers are freed from forced unionism, workers will continue suffering this type of abuse at the hands of self-serving union officials.”

Jeffersonville, Ind. (March 8, 2004)- Local Teamsters union officials at the Jeffboat company plant outside Louisville, Kentucky, have been forced to cease violating workers’ rights by demanding that employees sign union membership forms and agree to payroll deduction of union dues to keep their jobs.

In a settlement after prosecution for unfair labor practices, union officials also agreed to adopt new policies that cease restrictions on employees’ right to resign their formal union memberships.

With free legal aid from attorneys from the National Right to Work Foundation, Jeffboat worker Michael Bell originally filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against Teamsters Union Local 89 in the fall of 2003 after union officials retaliated against him for resigning his formal union membership by permanently banning him from the union, but still charging him dues.

“Teamsters union officials have tried to make an example of Michael Bell so that other workers will think twice before defying their edicts,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “This kind of abuse is inevitable until Kentucky passes a Right to Work law which would prohibit union officials from forcing employees to pay union dues in order to keep a job.”

In July 2002, Bell asserted his right to pay only a reduced fee to the union for its proven collective bargaining costs by resigning from formal full dues-paying union membership. Teamsters union officials retaliated by enforcing a policy that banned Bell from ever rejoining the union, while continuing to demand that he pay dues and fees. Union officials have now agreed to terminate that policy because it violates the law.

Teamsters Local 89 union officials must now post a notice at the Jeffboat factory notifying employees that no worker must sign a union membership application or dues check-off authorization to keep their job.

The actions of Teamsters Local 89 union officials violated worker protections recognized by the Foundation-won Communications Workers v. Beck U.S. Supreme Court decision. Under Beck, workers are allowed to resign from formal union membership and halt and reclaim the portion of forced union dues spent on activities unrelated to collective bargaining, such as politics, lobbying, and public relations.

Fairfield, Calif. (March 4, 2004) — Responding to unfair labor practice charges brought by
a Fairfield-area resident employed on a part-time basis as a weekend lab technician for Anheuser Busch, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will prosecute the local chapter of the Teamsters union for failing to properly inform employees of their right to refrain from financially supporting the union’s political and ideological causes.

Obtaining free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Catharine Anderson originally filed the unfair labor practice charges with the NLRB in July 2003. Anderson charged that officials of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 896 demanded from her and her coworkers excessive union fees, misrepresented employee rights, and threatened to have employees fired for refusing to comply with the union hierarchy’s illegal demands. Meanwhile, other California-based Anheuser Busch employees in past months have also filed similar charges.

“The bully tactics used by the Teamsters hierarchy are despicable,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Unfortunately, so long as California union officials enjoy compulsory unionism privileges, workers will continue to suffer such abuse.”

In addition, union officials have failed to provide workers refraining from formal union membership with an independent audit of union expenditures to assure their forced dues did not fund activities not directly related to collective bargaining, such as lobbying and electoral politics.

In their complaint, NLRB officials agreed that Teamsters union officials violated worker protections recognized in the U.S. Supreme Court ruling in Communications Workers v. Beck, a case argued and won by Foundation attorneys. Under the Beck ruling, workers may not be compelled to pay dues beyond the union’s proven collective bargaining costs, and they are entitled to an independent audit of union expenditures before any forced dues or fees are seized.

Uniontown, Pa. (February 27, 2004) — Responding to unfair labor practice charges brought by a Uniontown hospital employee, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) will prosecute Teamsters Union Local 491 for unlawful threats and coercion directed against dissenting employees.

Receiving free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, Patricia Demaske filed the original charges in August 2001 against union officials for unlawfully threatening employees with termination for failure to pay full union dues, mandating employees sign dues check-off authorizations, and failing to provide workers with an independent audit of union expenditures. The NLRB has set a trial date of April 27, 2004.

“Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. As union officials are frantic to amass the resources to play politics in this year’s elections, employees are being told to shut up and pay up,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “No one should be forced to pay dues to a union, especially when its officials continually abuse that federally granted special privilege.”

In May 2001, Teamsters Local 491 officials entered into a collective bargaining agreement that required all workers in the bargaining unit to pay union dues as a condition of employment. After Demaske expressed her desire to pay dues to cover only proven collective bargaining costs, Teamsters union officials threatened to have fired all employees who failed to pay full dues via a mandatory payroll deduction. Union officials also maintained an illegal objection policy under which workers could not resign their formal union memberships and object to payment of full union dues in concert with coworkers.

The actions of Teamsters union officials violated workers’ rights outlined in the U.S. Supreme Court’s Communications Workers v. Beck decision. Under Beck, a case argued and won by Foundation attorneys, workers may not only resign from formal union membership at any time, but also may only be legally forced to pay for the union’s proven collective bargaining costs.

“Unfortunately, as long as Pennsylvania workers labor under a system of compulsory unionism, these sorts of abuses will continue to plague workers across the state,” said Gleason.

Seattle, Wa. (February 26, 2004) — The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation today called upon on the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) to fulfill its responsibility to require the re-bidding of the Sound Transit project in Washington state.

In his letter to FTA Administrator Jennifer Dorn, Mark Mix, president of the Washington-DC based employee rights advocacy group, lays out the record of how the Central Puget Sound Transit Authority intentionally defied President George W. Bush’s Executive Order (EO) 13202 that bans any requirement that discriminatory, union-only project labor agreements (PLAs) be included in the bid specifications for federally funded construction projects.

A PLA is a scheme that requires all contractors, whether they are unionized or not, to subject themselves and their employees to unionization in order to work on government-funded construction projects. PLAs usually require contractors to grant union officials monopoly bargaining privileges over all workers, force workers to pay dues as a condition of employment, and force taxpayers to foot the bill for above-market prices resulting from wasteful union work rules, featherbedding, and less competition.

Foundation President Mark Mix points out that Sound Transit refused to allow contractors to bid on the first segment of the Sound Transit light rail project in the Ranier Valley unless they agreed to include a discriminatory union-only PLA. Sound Transit’s actions are in violation of the President’s directive, and thus narrowed the pool of bidders on the $110-130 million project to contractors that would agree to the costly union pact.

Presidential EO 13202, signed by President Bush in February 2001, prohibits recipients of federal funds from requiring union-only PLAs as a requirement to bid or receive a contract on construction projects. However, the Central Puget Sound Transit Authority outlined PLAs as a requirement for the Ranier Valley project in its Labor Compliance Manual issued in June 2003. Only those companies that agreed to this requirement were allowed to bid on the project.

“By prohibiting union-only PLAs, the President advances the principle of voluntary unionism and enhances prudent financial stewardship by encouraging a competitive field of bidders¾both union and merit shop¾for a project, thereby lowering the cost of construction projects for American taxpayers,” stated Mix. “In short, Sound Transit’s actions represent a knowing and deliberate attempt to flout President Bush’s Executive Order.”

In addition to requiring all employees working on the project to pay the equivalent of 94% of full union dues as a job condition, under the PLA the project’s contractors will “recognize the union as the sole and exclusive bargaining representative of all craft employees.” Contractors also must make contributions to union trust funds from which employees will never obtain benefits and hire workers from union hiring halls.

Springfield, VA (February 19, 2004) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation today announced that it would provide free legal assistance to employees seeking to reclaim the portion of their compulsory union dues spent by union officials on electoral politics and other activities unrelated to collective bargaining.

Stefan Gleason, vice president of the national employee rights advocacy organization said:

“The AFL-CIO endorsement is a slap in the face to more than 11 million American workers forced to pay over $8 billion a year in compulsory union dues just to keep their jobs. The misuse of over $800 million dollars in mostly forced union dues by union officials to elect their handpicked candidates in this election cycle represents the most egregious corruption of the American political system today.

“As Thomas Jefferson said, ‘To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves is both sinful and tyrannical.’”

“Although nearly 40% of union members consistently vote against Big Labor candidates, the AFL-CIO brass are thumbing their noses at these rank-and-file workers. In fact, polls have shown that more than 60% of AFL-CIO members do not support any use of dues on electioneering.

“While Big Labor may not be able to deliver the actual votes of rank-and-file workers to their candidates of choice, union officials will pump millions of forced-dues dollars into boiler room phone banks, hand over paid union staff to campaigns, orchestrate literature drops, and offer countless other in-kind contributions to campaigns.

“Therefore the Foundation stands willing to provide free legal assistance to any worker that seeks to recover forced union dues misspent for political activities.”

YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio (February 13, 2004) — In response to charges brought by hospital employees at Youngstown’s St. Elizabeth Health Center, an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) of the National Labor Relations Board ordered Teamsters Local 377 union officials to end pervasive unfair labor practices against local workers. Enjoying free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, the workers filed federal charges in 2001 against union officials for refusing to accept their resignations and for failing to properly notify them of their right to refrain from paying dues to subsidize union political activities.

In issuing the ruling, the ALJ effectively granted the case “class-action” status, determining that Teamsters officials had failed to inform all 900 workers in the bargaining unit of their rights. The ALJ’s order entitles all such workers to receive a refund on dues collected for political and other non-collective bargaining activities, with interest. In addition, all workers who paid dues for periods when no contract was in effect are entitled to full reimbursement of those dues.

“This ruling is an important step that holds some union officials in Ohio to account for trampling the rights of workers,” said Ray LaJeunesse, Legal Director of the National Right to Work Foundation. “However, as long as Ohio workers labor under a system of compulsory unionism, this sort of abuse will inevitably continue to plague workers across the state.”

Officials of the Youngstown-based union refused to accept employees’ written resignations from union membership and told employees that they must pay all “back dues” before the union would even consider their resignations. Union officials also demanded the firing of workers for refusal to pay dues, without first informing them of their right to become objecting nonmembers. Local Teamsters union officials also used payroll deductions unlawfully to collect dues for periods in which there was no valid forced unionism clause.

Under the Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court Communications Workers v. Beck decision, workers may resign from formal union membership at any time and pay only for the union’s proven collective bargaining costs. Now, under the ALJ’s decision, Teamsters 377 union officials must inform Health Center workers of these rights, rescind a threatening letter, and allow all employees to seek retroactive refunds.

New Haven, CT. (February 2, 2004) — A group of cafeteria workers at the Yale-New Haven Hospital have beaten back illegal retaliation engaged in by union officials after the employees refused to walk off the job during a strike last August.

With free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, thirteen hospital cafeteria employees, led by Arleen DeMaio, filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) in November 2003. The charges alleged that union officials from the New England Health Care Employees Union District 1199, SEIU/AFL-CIO (NEHCEU) illegally refused to honor the workers’ resignations from formal union membership.

In addition, DeMaio and her coworkers alleged that union officials illegally ordered them to appear before a union tribunal to accept formal discipline – possibly including monetary fines – for exercising their legally protected right to work during a strike.

As part of a settlement agreement brokered at the NLRB late last week, union officials now must rescind their unlawful membership resignation policy, post notices of workers’ rights conspicuously at the workplace, and rescind all fines, penalties, or other discipline assessed against the workers.

“This illegal policy so flagrantly violated workers’ rights, the union hierarchy did not even try to defend it once they faced the possibility of prosecution,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Unfortunately, so long as union officials in Connecticut have the power to fire workers for refusal to pay union dues, this sort of illegal retaliation and harassment will inevitably continue.”

The NEHCEU’s illegal membership resignation scheme, outlined in the union’s bylaws, stated that workers wishing to resign must appear before a “chapter hearing board” to gain formal permission. The settlement agreement states that the policy will be eliminated from the union’s by-laws, and notice of that removal must appear in the union’s next newsletter.

The NEHCEU union officials’ actions violated workers’ protections recognized in the U.S. Supreme Court case Patternmakers v. NLRB. Under Patternmakers, union officials must allow employees to resign from formal union membership at any time and without restriction. Union officials have no legal right to enforce internal union rules – including rules that require union members to strike – against nonunion members.