**Lexington, KY (October 5, 2006)** – International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) Local 526 union officials have settled a federal civil rights lawsuit against the union for illegally seizing forced union dues from seven nonunion Lexington firefighters. The firefighters brought the lawsuit with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation attorneys.

According to the settlement, IAFF union officials have refunded with interest all forced dues seized improperly since the collective bargaining agreement went into effect in June 2005. Each of the firefighters received approximately $150 in refunded dues and interest.

The victory for the nonunion firefighters contradicts earlier denials of any wrongdoing by Local 526 union official Mark Blankenship who was quoted in news reports immediately following the lawsuit’s filing claiming, “we follow all of the federal and state rules.”

“The fact that these firefighters had to file a federal lawsuit to get union officials to stop violating their basic constitutional rights shows how little the union bosses truly care about ‘representing’ workers,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “This case demonstrates how vulnerable Kentucky employees are without a Right to Work law on the books making union membership and dues payment strictly voluntary.”

The suit, filed June 22 against the IAFF Local 526 by the firefighters in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Kentucky, also named Lexington Mayor Teresa Isaac, and other top city officials, for signing and enforcing an agreement with the union that resulted in the unconstitutional acts.

Under the Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court decision Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson, before seizing any forced dues, union officials must first provide an independent audited disclosure of the union’s expenses. Such audits are intended to ensure that forced union dues seized from nonunion public employees do not fund union activities unrelated to collective bargaining, such as union political activities. Unsurprisingly, IAFF union political operatives recently endorsed Isaac’s mayoral campaign.

In addition to the refunds, as a result of the settlement union officials cannot seize any future dues from nonunion firefighters until the union follows constitutionally-required procedures recognized by the Supreme Court in the Foundation-won Hudson decision. However, until Kentucky workers are protected by a Right to Work law, union officials will have the power to force employees to pay union dues or fees just to get or keep their jobs.

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.