Puyallup, WA (March 26, 2004) – A Tacoma-area Good Samaritan Hospital employee has filed class-action federal charges after union officials at the hospital unlawfully threatened employees that they would be fired if they failed to join the union, pay full dues, and sign dues deduction cards.

With free legal aid from attorneys with the National Right to Work Foundation, Michelle Washington filed unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against the Hospital and Health Care Employees Union District 1199NW (HCEU), an AFL-CIO affiliate. The NLRB will now investigate the charges and decide whether to prosecute the union for unfair labor practices.

In the charges, Washington states that HCEU officials never informed workers at the hospital of their right to refrain from formal union membership and pay a reduced fee. Once Washington learned from sources independent of the union that she had the right to refrain from formal membership, she submitted a resignation that has been ignored.

“These actions by union officials show they care far more about stuffing their coffers with union dues than representing the interests of rank-and-file employees,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation.

In her charges, Washington asserts that no worker’s membership in the union can be considered voluntary because HCEU union officials never observed employees’ due process rights. These include compliance with a requirement to inform employees of their limited obligations to the union and provide them with an independent audit of chargeable and non-chargeable expenses. Washington is therefore asking the NLRB to void all workers’ membership and dues authorization cards until they are informed of their rights, and to order union officials to refund dues and fees already collected.

The actions of HCEU union officials violated workers’ rights recognized by the U.S. Supreme Court in Communications Workers v. Beck and related decisions. Under these Supreme Court rulings, workers wishing to refrain from formal union membership may halt and reclaim all forced union dues used for activities unrelated to collective bargaining, such as union electoral politics.

“No one should be forced to pay dues to an unwanted union, especially when its officials abuse that federally granted special privilege,” stated Gleason.

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 more than 250 cases nationwide per year.