Springfield, VA (November 3, 2016) –The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation issued a special legal notice to the nearly 5,000 bus, subway, and trolley operators of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) workers who, according to reports, have been ordered by Transportation Workers Union (TWU) union bosses to strike beginning November 1.

Mark Mix, President of the NRTW Foundation, issued the following statement:

“All too often union bosses initiate strikes to further their own power even if striking is not in the best interest of rank-and-file workers, or of the public at large. Affected workers need to know that federal labor law is clear: any worker has the right to remain on the job during a strike if the business remains open. Further, all workers have the right to resign from union membership and avoid internal union discipline for breaking ranks with their union bosses.

To protect their rights and prevent union officials from retaliating against them in the form of internal union discipline, workers must follow certain procedures. To help workers understand their workplace rights in a strike situation, the Foundation has posted a special notice for SEPTA employees who have been ordered to strike.

Although workers have the right to continue working or return to work despite the union official-ordered strike, it is important that any worker who wishes to work during a strike resign his or her union membership before returning to work to avoid internal union discipline, including fines that have been as high as $50,000.

It is very important that affected workers understand their rights, and that they may turn to the Foundation for free legal aid if they encounter union boss resistance when trying to exercise those rights.”

Also, workers who see or encounter violence on the picket lines should contact and report such incidents to the Foundation. Workers may contact the Foundation through its website www.NRTW.org or by calling the Foundation’s toll-free hotline: 1-800-336-3600. The Foundation’s special legal notice for SEPTA workers may be found here.

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.