News reports indicate that officials of the United Nurses Associations of California / Union of Health Care Professionals / AFSCME, the United Steelworkers, and the Oregon Federation of Nurses and Healthcare Professionals are gearing up to order nearly 32,000 Kaiser Permanente hospital staff across California and Oregon to abandon their patients and go on strike.

The situation raises serious concerns for hospital staff who believe there is much to lose from a union-ordered strike.

Employees have the right under federal labor law to rebuff union officials’ strike demands, but it is important for you to get informed before you do so.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO WORK DURING A STRIKE READ ALL OF THIS SPECIAL NOTICE BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK – IT MIGHT SAVE YOU THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS!

Hospital workers may want to contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation to learn how they can avoid fines and other vicious union discipline for continuing to report to work to support themselves and their families. Much of the important information about your rights can be found on our website here.

The Foundation wants you to learn about your legal rights from independent sources. You should not rely on what self-interested union officials tell you. For over four decades, Foundation attorneys have worked in the courts to protect and expand the rights of individual employees in situations such as strikes. It is the nation’s premier organization exclusively dedicated to providing free legal assistance to employee victims of forced unionism abuse.

Kaiser Permanente employees in California and Oregon should know they have the following rights:

1) You have the right to resign your membership in the union. If you don’t support the union, you can send the union a letter resigning your membership.

2) You have the right to go to work even if the union bosses order a strike. Union officials can (and often do) levy onerous monetary fines against union members who work during a strike. So, you should seriously consider resigning your union membership BEFORE you return to work during a strike, which is the only certain way to avoid these ruinous union fines and discipline. (See “Union Discipline and Employee Rights.”) Your resignation letter must be postmarked THE DAY BEFORE you return to work, or hand delivered BEFORE you actually return to work.

3) You have the right to become a “Beck objector” and pay only reduced financial core fees instead of full membership dues. If you become a Beck objector, you will not be forced to pay for unions’ political and social agenda.

Here is a sample letter for employees who wish to resign their union membership and become Beck objectors.

NOTE: While not legally required, it is a better practice to send your letter to the union by certified mail, return receipt requested, and save a copy of your letter and the return receipt to prove delivery. If you hand deliver a letter, make sure that you have a reliable witness to the delivery. In our experience, angry and dishonest union officials often pretend they did not actually receive resignations and initiate discipline against non-striking workers anyway. If this happens to you, immediately contact the National Right to Work Foundation to request free legal aid.