Wellington Industries Employee Files Federal Unfair Labor Practice Charges against UAW Local

Belleville, MI (May 6, 2011) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, a Wellington Industries employee has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 174 and UAW Independent Local One unions for forcing her to pay full union dues and enrolling Wellington employees in the UAW without their consent. Brenda Kowalski, a welder at the Wellington Belleville plant, and over 150 of her coworkers were threatened with termination by UAW officials if they refused to join the union, sign dues deduction authorization cards, and pay full union dues.

Seattle Nurse Files Charges against Union Officials for Unlawfully Forcing Her to Join Union, Pay Dues

Seattle, WA (April 29, 2011) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, a Seattle nurse has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against the Washington State Nurses Association (WSNA) union. The charges state that union officials forced unwilling nurses to pay full union dues and automatically enrolled new nurses as union members without receiving their consent. Therese Mollerus-Gale became a nurse at Virginia Mason Medical Center in December 2010, during a contract hiatus between the WSNA union and the hospital. Although employees cannot be compelled to join a union as a condition of employment, WSNA officials automatically enrolled Mollerus-Gale as a union member. In February 2011, she was notified that she would have to pay full union dues.

Nurse Threatened with Termination for Refusing to Join Union Ranks

Chicago, IL (April 20, 2011) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, a Chicago nurse has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against the National Nurses United (NNU) union. The charges allege that NNU officials stopped her from opting out of certain union dues and attempted to force her to join the union. Jennifer Heyd, a University of Chicago Medical Center nurse, was first told that she had to authorize union dues deductions and sign a NNU membership card in November of 2010. Although Heyd informed union officials that she did not want to join the union or pay full dues, NNU bosses told her that she would be fired if she did not become a member or authorize dues deductions.

Gas Utility Worker Seeks to Turn Off Forced Union Dues Pipeline for Union Boss Politics

Gas Utility Worker Seeks to Turn Off Forced Union Dues Pipeline for Union Boss Politics West Virginia needs Right to Work law to protect workers from forced unionism abuses Clarksburg, West Virginia (March 31, 2011) – A Dominion Hope utility worker has filed federal charges against a local union after union officials illegally attempted to force him into full-dues-paying union membership.

Gas Utility Worker Seeks to Turn Off Forced Union Dues Pipeline for Union Boss Politics

Clarksburg, West Virginia (March 31, 2011) – A Dominion Hope utility worker has filed federal charges against a local union after union officials illegally attempted to force him into full-dues-paying union membership. With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys, Dominion Hope employee Jeremy Dimick of West Union filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Wednesday. Utility Workers Union of America (UWUA) Local 69 union officials enjoy monopoly bargaining privileges over Dominion Hope’s employees. In November 2010, Dimick sent a letter to union officials stating that he was exercising his right under National Right to Work Foundation-won Supreme Court precedent in Communication Workers v. Beck to refrain from full-dues-paying union membership.

Right to Work Foundation Submits FOIA Request to Uncover Extent of National Labor Relations Board’s Google Ads Campaign

Washington, DC (March 21, 2011) – The National Right to Work Foundation, a charitable organization that provides free legal assistance to employees nationwide, submitted a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), asking for information about a series of Google Ads placed by the NLRB from 2008 to 2011. According to an earlier NLRB statement, the Board received a free Google Ads trial in 2008 and has since discontinued the program. However, other reports indicate that NLRB Google Ads appeared as recently as February of this year. Moreover, these ads only contained information about workers’ ability to organize or join unions. No record of ads about workers’ rights to refrain from union activities or remove a union from their workplace has been found.

Wisconsin AFSCME Union Bosses Face Federal Charges for Illegally Seizing Forced Dues for Politics

Wisconsin AFSCME Union Bosses Face Federal Charges for Illegally Seizing Forced Dues for Politics Wisconsin needs Right to Work law to protect workers from forced unionism abuses Milwaukee, WI (March 16, 2011) – A U.S. Bank customer service and support employee has filed federal charges against a local union after local union officials illegally attempted to force him and his colleagues into full-dues-paying union membership.

Wisconsin AFSCME Union Bosses Face Federal Charges for Illegally Seizing Forced Dues for Politics

Milwaukee, WI (March 16, 2011) – A U.S. Bank customer service and support employee has filed federal charges against a local union after local union officials illegally attempted to force him and his colleagues into full-dues-paying union membership. Peter Quinones of Milwaukee filed the charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on Tuesday with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys. After American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Local 777 union officials were granted monopoly bargaining privileges over approximately 300 U.S. Bank employees, Quinones sent a letter to union officials stating that he was exercising his right under National Right to Work Foundation-won Supreme Court precedent in Communication Workers v. Beck to refrain from full dues paying union membership.

Worker Advocate Hits Labor Board for Hypocritical Enforcement of Federal Preemption

Washington, DC - The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a charitable organization that provides free legal assistance to employees nationwide, sent a letter to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) protesting the agency’s decision to threaten lawsuits against state ballot amendments aimed at prohibiting ‘card check’ organizing drives but not threaten suits against state laws that aid unions. The letter, signed by Foundation Legal Director Raymond LaJeunesse, points out that this latest move reveals a troubling pattern of forced unionism favoritism at the NLRB, which is charged with overseeing private sector labor and employment law throughout the country. LaJeunesse notes that in numerous other cases where federal statutes preempt state law, the current NLRB has failed to act if asserting federal prerogatives would mean undermining union officials’ special privileges.

Worker Advocate Urges Labor Board to Affirm Right to Object to Subsidizing Union Politics in Languishing Cases

Worker Advocate Urges Labor Board to Affirm Right to Object to Subsidizing Union Politics in Languishing Cases Numerous cases before NLRB lay dormant as workers suffer from union policies designed to discourage objections to paying full union dues Washington, DC (January 13, 2011) – The National Right to Work Foundation is urging the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) to promptly resolve four cases almost identical to one decided last year by the Board as independent-minded workers wait for a resolution.