New York, N.Y. (December 23, 2005) – The National Right to Work Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that provides free legal aid to employees suffering from compulsory unionism abuses, called on New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer today not to heed union officials’ calls for amnesty as part of the final settlement after those officials ordered the city’s illegal subway strike.

In his letter to Spitzer, Foundation President Mark Mix warned of routine union successes in gaining amnesty after illegal public sector strikes, pointing out that such actions result in even more public services being held hostage illegally to union demands. Mix also urged the Attorney General to enforce the law requiring that TWU officials lose their special privilege to use payroll deduction for union dues, seek enforcement of all fines against the union, seek imprisonment for contempt of court, and ultimately seek the firing of all responsible union officials who hold public employment in New York.

“The TWU has violated State law in a brazen attempt to hold New York City hostage to its self-serving demands,” stated Mix. “The TWU has not only endangered the safety and economic well-being of millions of metro area workers and residents, but it has done so with a blatant disregard for the transit employees it purports to protect.”

The Taylor Law requires the Attorney General to institute proceedings before the New York State Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) – if it does not do so on its own. State law obligates the Attorney General to demand that the PERB order the immediate forfeiture of the TWU’s special privilege to collect fees and dues from employees via payroll deduction.

“Furthermore, you should encourage State Supreme Court Justice Theodore Jones to continue to hold TWU officials in contempt for their unashamed violation of his injunction order, and you should encourage enforcement and collection of all fines that he has already levied upon TWU officials as well as imprisonment of the union officials found in contempt,” Mix wrote.

“In addition, you should urge Governor Pataki to determine through an investigation whether any of the TWU officials who caused, instigated, encouraged, or condoned this unlawful strike are public employees. Governor Pataki should terminate any such union officials from their employment with State of New York, as provided for by law.

“To allow the TWU officials to escape unscathed from their callous and selfish disdain for the law will have dire consequences for the future of labor relations in New York State and will invariably result in more illegal strikes,” Mix concluded.

Mark Mix’s letter to New York Attorney General Elliot Spitzer is available here.

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 about 200 cases nationwide per year.