Honolulu, HI (April 27, 2012) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, two Honolulu hotel employees have filed federal unfair labor practice charges against the UNITE HERE Local 5 union.
Grant Suzuki and Daryl Sakugawa don’t belong to Local 5 but can still be forced to pay union dues and fees as a condition of employment because Hawaii lacks a Right to Work law. However, the Foundation-won Supreme Court precedent Communication Workers v. Beck holds that nonunion employees cannot be forced to pay for union activities unrelated to workplace bargaining, such as political lobbying or members-only activities.
In December 2011, Suzuki and Sakugawa received a breakdown of union financial expenditures from Local 5. According to the union’s books, both employees were forced to contribute to a variety of activities outside the scope of workplace negotiations, including UNITE HERE political lobbying and a union strike fund.
Wooster, OH (April 12, 2012) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys, a ArtiFlex Manufacturing employee has won a settlement from a local union for violating his and his coworkers’ rights.
In October 2011, Shreve-based United Steelworkers (USW) Local 1-801 union officials illegally threatened Dave Monahan and his colleagues with termination if they refused to formally join the union.
Union officials neglected to inform Artiflex workers of their rights to refrain from formal union membership and the payment of full union dues. In the Right to Work Foundation’s Communications Workers v. Beck Supreme Court case, the Court held that union officials cannot compel nonmember workers to pay the portion of union dues used for political, lobbying, and member-only activities.
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.
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.
[your address]
[date]
[name and address of union]
[name and address of payroll, labor relations and/or human resources departments of employer]
[To the appropriate union officer (see your union constitution -- for the Teamsters, for example, the letter must be addressed to the Secretary-Treasurer)]:
[To the appropriate employer departments]:
I am employed by [name of employer]. Effective immediately, I resign from membership in the [name of local union] and all of its affiliated unions.
As a nonmember, I will continue to meet my lawful obligation of paying a representation fee to the union under its "union shop" or "agency shop" agreement with [name of employer] until the current agreement is modified, renewed, extended or expires, whichever comes first, at which time Indiana's Right to Work law becomes effective as to me.
[your address]
[date]
[name and address of union]
[To the appropriate union officer (see your union constitution)]:
I am employed by [name of employer].
Effective immediately, I resign from membership in the [name of local union] and all of its affiliated unions.
As a nonmember, I will continue to meet my lawful obligation of paying a representation fee to the union under its "union shop" or "agency shop" agreement with [name of employer] until the current agreement is modified, renewed, extended or expires, whichever comes first, at which time Indiana’s Right to Work law becomes effective as to me and I will no longer be required to pay you anything.
