Indianapolis, IN (June 14, 2013) – In separate cases, two Indianapolis-area workers have filed charges against two local unions for violating their rights to refrain from union dues payments.

With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, the two workers filed federal unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

In one case, Indianapolis AT&T (NYSE: T) worker Joshua Sterrett resigned membership in the Communications Workers of America (CWA) Local 4900 union on January 21, 2013. Even though CWA Local 4900 union officials acknowledged Sterrett’s union membership resignation on January 30, Sterrett alleges that union officials failed to tell him how he could timely revoke his dues deductions. As a result, he is forced to pay union fees for an additional year.

In the second case, Indianapolis Kroger (NYSE: KR) worker Julie Huffman resigned membership in the United Food and Commercial Worker (UFCW) Local 700 union in May 2012, when the union did not have a forced dues contract in effect. Although union officials recognized Huffman’s union membership resignation, they informed her that she could not stop deduction of union dues for almost another year.

This year, Huffman attempted to follow the union hierarchy’s instructions on how to stop union dues payments. However, this time the union hierarchy denied her request because it was submitted two days late. UFCW Local 700 union officials continue to collect full union dues from Huffman’s paychecks.

Huffman’s charge alleges that the UFCW union’s restrictions of dues deduction revocations to a 5-day period by certified mail are unreasonable and arbitrary and violate federal law.

“Despite Indiana’s popular new Right to Work law, union officials are illegally extracting union dues and fees from workers by any means possible,” said Patrick Semmens, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “These illegal actions must stop.””

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.