Union Officials at Central Michigan University Face State Prosecution for Illegal Dues Seizures

Lansing, MI (June 11, 2012) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a temporary instructor at Central Michigan University (CMU) has spurred a state prosecution against a local union for violating her First Amendment rights.Nancy Rusch of St. Louis, filed a charge with the Michigan Employment Relations Commission (MERC) against the Union of Teaching Faculty (UTF) union for illegally confiscating union dues payments from her and her coworkers' paychecks without following federal requirements.Because Michigan does not have Right to Work protections making union affiliation completely voluntary, Rusch, who has refrained from formal union membership, is still forced to pay part of forced union dues to keep her job at the university. However, she is not required to pay union dues or fees for union boss political activities, lobbying, and member-only events.

Teamster Union Faces Federal Charge For Illegally Using Forced Dues for Politics

Minneapolis, MN (June 11, 2012) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a New Brighton Ford journeyman technician has filed a federal charge against a local Teamster union for violating his rights.Dylan McHenry of Hammond, Wisconsin filed the charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional office in Minneapolis against the Teamsters Local 974 union for illegally confiscating union dues payments from his paychecks for political activism and refusing to follow federal disclosure requirements.Because Minnesota does not have Right to Work protections making union affiliation completely voluntary, McHenry, who resigned from formal union membership in April, is still forced to pay fees to the union to keep his job.

Wisconsin Civil Servants File Federal Appeals Brief Supporting Governor’s Public-Sector Unionism Reforms

Madison, WI (June 6, 2012) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, three Wisconsin public employees have asked the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit to uphold all of Governor Scott Walker's public-sector unionism reform measures, known as "Act 10."Pleasant Prairie teacher Kristi Lacroix, Waukesha high school teacher Nathan Berish, and trust fund specialist at the Wisconsin Department of Employee Trust Funds Ricardo Cruz filed the brief yesterday.The workers, who are forced to accept the "representation" of union officials, want instead the freedom to represent themselves with their employers. The workers are challenging a lower court judge’s ruling to strike down Wisconsin's new union recertification requirements and the ban on the use of taxpayer funded-payroll systems to collect union dues for general employees.

Local Bus Driver Moves to Disqualify Phony Obama ‘Recess Appointees’ from Federal Case

Seattle, Washington (June 5, 2012) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, a Sandy, Oregon, bus driver has filed a motion seeking to disqualify President Obama's purported recess appointees to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) from his case.The legal challenge is part of an ongoing controversy over the constitutionality of Obama's move to install three NLRB members as "recess appointees" despite the fact that the U.S. Senate was not in recess.In January 2011, First Student bus driver Richard Harmon resigned from formal union membership in Teamsters Local 206. Because Oregon does not have Right to Work protections making union affiliation completely voluntary, Harmon is still forced to pay part of forced union dues to keep his job.

Union Bosses Set Forest Fire Captain’s Religious Rights Ablaze

San Francisco, CA (May 21, 2012) – A California Department of Forestry fire captain has filed a religious discrimination charge against the California Department of Forestry Firefighters (CDFF) union for violating his statutory right to refrain from paying forced union dues to support a union hierarchy involved in activities he considers immoral.With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, Susanville firefighter John Valentich filed the charge against the CDFF union with the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission located in San Francisco.

National Workplace Advocacy Group Launches Charter School Initiative

Washington, DC (May 16, 2012) – The nation's premier advocate on behalf of workers impacted by forced unionism across the country has launched a new initiative to assist charter school teachers and other charter school employees exercise their rights so they can make informed decisions about unionization.Led by National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, the National Right to Work Foundation's Charter School Initiative will help charter school teachers and support personnel in the face of expanding efforts by union officials to unionize America’s charter schools.All charter school employees are entitled to certain constitutional and statutory rights. Unfortunately, these rights are not automatically provided. To enjoy many of the benefits of these protected rights, an employee may first have to assert his or her entitlement to them.

Court Strikes Down Obama Labor Board’s Ambush Election Rule Change

Court Strikes Down Obama Labor Board’s Ambush Election Rule Change Challenged rules would allow union bosses to ambush workers into forced-dues-paying union ranks Washington, D.C. (May 14, 2012) – Today, the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia has struck down the National Labor Relations Board's new rules dictating how union organizing elections are conducted, ruling that the Board did not have a quorum necessary to enact the new rules.

Verizon Employee Wins Settlement After CWA Union and Company Officials Collude to Ignore Her Rights

Newport News, VA (May 14, 2012) – A Newport News, Virginia Verizon (NYSE: VZ) worker has won a settlement from the company and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, and its local affiliate, for violating her rights following last year's strike that grabbed national headlines.With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, Williamsburg resident Monika Cassell filed a lawsuit in federal district court in February against Verizon, the CWA and its affiliate, Local 2205, for refusing to honor her right to refrain from paying union dues.Upset by CWA union officials' strike order and unwilling to walk off their jobs, Cassell and several other Verizon employees resigned from the union last year and revoked their dues deduction authorizations – documents used by union officials to automatically collect dues from employees' paychecks – while the union did not have a contract at their workplaces.

Union Bosses Levy Retaliatory Strike Fine Against Worker After Telling Him to Continue Working During Strike

Kansas City, MO (May 9, 2012) – A Honeywell nuclear assembly worker has filed a federal charge against a local union for retaliating against him with a $7,361.36 fine for exercising his right to refrain from union membership and continue to do his job during a union boss-instigated strike.With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, Daniel Gudde filed the charge with the National Labor Relations Board regional office in Overland Park, Kansas on Friday.Gudde began working at Honeywell in late September believing he had to join the International Association of Machinist (IAM) Local Lodge 778 union. In early October, IAM Local 778 union officials instigated a strike. Gudde and three of his coworkers were unsure if they had to go on strike as union members or if they had to fulfill a required 30 day probationary period of employment.

U.S. Appeals Court Rejects Obama Administration Stance in Case Challenging Backroom Union Deals

Hollywood, FL (May 3, 2012) – The United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit has shot down the Obama Administration's attempt to roll back a worker's protracted, precedent-setting legal victory against a local union.The case is a legal challenge initiated by Hollywood, Florida-area Mardi Gras Gaming groundskeeper Martin Mulhall with free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation.In 2008, Mardi Gras entered into an agreement with Unite Here Local 355 union officials promising that it would hand over employees' personal contact information (including home addresses), grant union operatives access to company facilities for the purpose of organizing through a coercive card check campaign, and refrain from speaking about the downsides of unionization. In return, the Unite Here officials expended over one hundred thousand dollars to support a gambling ballot initiative and guaranteed not to picket, boycott, or strike the facility.