Decades ago, Shucheng Huang fled the communist tyranny of Vietnam for the United States, hoping to make a better life for her family. But as a dedicated employee at Abex Friction Products, Shucheng never dreamed that tyrannic thuggery could be visited upon her during and after a four-week union-ordered strike in Winchester, Virginia.

In 1996, United Auto Workers (UAW) union officials ordered a strike at the brake manufacturing plant. However, Shucheng, a mother of four, continued to report to work in order to support her family. UAW union militants retaliated by targeting Shucheng and several of her coworkers with a terror campaign of violence, intimidation, and death threats.

UAW union thugs met in the union hall to coordinate and plan the violent acts of hate and intimidation. They even distributed newsletters to union militants that tacitly encouraged retaliation against those employees who chose not to walk off the job.

One employee had his living room window blown out by a union hothead. Meanwhile, UAW militants vandalized Shucheng’s car with paint and smashed her car windows. And, she found a severed, bloody cow’s head dumped onto the hood of her car.

But the campaign of terror did not end there. After the strike ended, union thugs shot out Shucheng’s car window as she entered the parking lot before work. And, after a local newspaper ran the story about the severed, bloody cow’s head, union operatives sent a photo of the car hood to Shucheng’s family, this time with Shucheng’s face superimposed over the cow’s head. Shucheng even found her picture posted on Abex’s bulletin board under the caption “Wanted Dead or Alive.”

Frightened for her life and her family’s safety, Shucheng turned to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation for help. Right to Work attorneys filed a civil lawsuit for Shucheng, four other victimized employees, and one worker’s spouse.

Ultimately, the National Right to Work Foundation won the workers an undisclosed monetary settlement upon the final resolution of the case. Thankfully, the Virginia courts also found several union militants guilty of criminal violations.

Schucheng in Her Own Words

“I just wanted to die. Almost I passed?(sob) (sob) (sob) I do not know how they do me like this.” –Shucheng interviewed on CNN, describing how scared she was after finding a bloody severed cow’s head on her car

“I’m very shaky, very worried, very scared. When I think about going to work now, I don’t know what will happen. This job at Abex seemed like the best thing: I was real happy.” –Shucheng, speaking to the Northern Virginia Daily about union intimidation tactics

“I didn’t understand. I called my company to see what to do. They said if you don’t come to work, you probably lose job. I need a job. My family is a poor family.” –Shucheng, describing how the welfare of her family was more important than walking off the job

“I think there might be another person behind him. Right now, I’m in very, very danger.” –Shucheng was still worried about threats to her life after hearing about the possible arrest of one union militant