Right to Work Foundation Attorneys File Motion to Intervene in Circuit Court to Challenge Obama’s ‘Recess’ NLRB Appointments

Washington, DC (March 26, 2012) – With the help of National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, seven workers moved to intervene in a D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals case that could determine if President Obama’s recent recess appointments to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) are constitutional. John Lugo, Douglas Richards, David Yost, Connie Gray, Karen Medley, and Janette and Tommy Fuentes are all involved in cases pending before the Board. They seek to intervene in a federal court appeal from a recent NLRB decision which presents the issue of whether the Board had the required three-member quorum to make a ruling.

Hospital Union Officials Face Federal Charges for Disclosure Malpractice

Pleasanton, California (March 23, 2012) – A Kaiser Pleasanton Clinic nurse has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against a local union for violating her rights.With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, Donna Von der Lieth of San Ramon filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).Von der Lieth sent a letter to California Nurses Association (CNA) union officials resigning from formal union membership and invoked her right to refrain from paying full union dues in September 2011. However, because CNA union officials enjoy monopoly bargaining privileges over her workplace, and because California does not have state Right to Work protections for its workers, Von der Lieth is forced to accept CNA union officials' "representation" and pay union fees as a condition of employment.

Employee from Non-Profit Public Defense Firm Defends Her Rights from SEIU Union Hierarchy

Seattle, WA (March 20, 2012) – An employee at a private, non-profit public defense law firm has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against a Seattle-area union for violating her rights.With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, Society of Counsel Representing Accused Persons employee Stephanie Kalfayan filed the charges Friday with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) regional office in Seattle.Kalfayan resigned from formal union membership in Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 925 and invoked her right to refrain from paying full union dues. However, because SEIU Local 925 officials enjoy monopoly bargaining privileges over her workplace, and because Washington does not have state Right to Work protections for its workers, Kalfayan is forced to accept SEIU officials' "representation" and pay union fees as a condition of employment.

Union Officials Challenging Indiana Right to Work Law Forced to Settle Union Dues Case

Indianapolis, IN (March 9, 2012) – The union headquartered in suburban Chicago, Illinois challenging Indiana's newly-enacted Right to Work law in federal court has been forced to refund money illegally taken from workers' paychecks as part of a settlement.The National Right to Work Foundation provided free legal assistance to Valparaiso-area Minteq International employees Joel Tibbetts and Adam Hill in the prolonged legal battle dating back to 2007.The Minteq employees' workplace is unionized by the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 150 union hierarchy. Both workers have refrained from union membership but still must accept IUOE Local 150 union officials' so-called "representation" and are required to pay dues to the union to keep their jobs, until their current contract expires, after which they will be freed from that requirement by Indiana's new Right to Work law.

SEIU Hit with Federal Charge for Sweeping Hospital Housekeeper’s Rights Under the Rug

Kissimmee, FL (March 8, 2012) – An Osceola Regional Medical Center housekeeper has filed federal charges against a major healthcare union for repeatedly violating federal law by refusing to allow her to exercise her right to refrain from dues-paying union membership under Florida's popular Right to Work law.With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, Imaculada Camara of St. Cloud filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).On December 8, 2011, Camara sent a letter notifying Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Healthcare Workers East officials that she was exercising her right to resign from union membership. Instead of acknowledging her request, SEIU officials rejected her letter because it was not sent via registered mail. On December 28, Camara sent a second letter, which SEIU officials again rejected, this time for not being timely.

Wisconsin Civil Servant Files Brief in Defense of Governor Walker’s Public Sector Union Reform Bill

Madison, WI (March 6, 2012) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty, a Wisconsin public school teacher filed an amicus curiae brief in state court yesterday supporting Governor Walker's public sector union reform bill. The recently-enacted legislation ensures that most Wisconsin public employees do not have to join or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment and bans automatic union dues deductions from public employees' paychecks. Eli Grajkowski, a veteran Wisconsin educator, filed the brief today in Dane County Circuit Court in response to a union legal challenge by the Public Employees Local 61 union and Madison Teachers, Inc., a local affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA) union.

Workers File Brief Opposing Union Boss Challenge to Indiana Right to Work Law

Hammond, IN (March 2, 2012) – In response to union bosses' federal lawsuit against Indiana's popular Right to Work law, a group of Indiana workers from across the state are filing an amicus brief in support of their newly-enacted Right to Work freedoms.With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, the four workers – David Bercot, a certified wastewater operator for ITR Concession Company which services Indiana toll road rest stops in the Fort Wayne-area; Joel Tibbetts, a Minteq International assistant manager in Valparaiso; Douglas Richards, an employee with Goshen-based Cequent Towing Products; and Larry Getts, a Dana Holding Corporation tube press technician in Albion – all joined in the brief defending the law.

Worker Rights Advocate Announces Addition of Former NLRB Member to Legal Staff

Springfield, VA (March 1, 2012) – Today, the National Right to Work Foundation announced the addition of John Raudabaugh, a former National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) Member and labor and employee relations attorney. Raudabaugh was nominated to the NLRB by President George H. W. Bush, serving from 1990 to 1993. He has testified before the Senate Committee on Appropriations and the House Committee on Education and the Workforce regarding labor law reform and card-check unionization drives. Raudabaugh also has extensive private sector legal experience, most recently at the Washington, D.C. office of the Nixon Peabody LLP law firm. He has served as an adjunct professor of labor law at Northwestern University, University of Chicago, and Emory University Law Schools.

Worker Wins NLRB Settlement after Enduring Harassment by Union Officials

Bloomsburg, PA (February 29, 2012) – With the help of National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys, a local Del Monte Foods employee has reached a settlement with United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 38 after a union official repeatedly harassed him on the job. Ronald Brobst, a veteran Del Monte employee, is not a member of UFCW Local 38 and had previously opted out of paying for certain UFCW activities, such as union political activism. Because Pennsylvania lacks a Right to Work law, nonunion employees like Brobst can be forced to pay up to 100% of union dues as a condition of employment. However, the Foundation-won Supreme Court decision Communication Workers v. Beck guarantees that nonunion employees have the right to opt out of dues used for activities, like politics, unrelated to workplace bargaining.

Employee Files Federal Lawsuit against CWA Union Officials and Verizon for Ignoring Her Rights

Newport News, VA (February 28, 2012) – In the wake of last year's Communications Workers of America (CWA) union boss-instigated strike that grabbed national headlines, a Newport News, Virginia Verizon (NYSE: VZ) worker has filed a federal lawsuit against the company and a local union for violating her rights.With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, Williamsburg resident Monika Cassell filed the lawsuit in federal district court 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.