**Detroit, MI (June 2, 2006)** – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a local health care worker filed federal charges against the American Federation of State and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) union after AFSCME officials illegally demanded her termination for refusing to pay union dues.

Yvette Smith, a rehabilitation specialist employed by Detroit East, Inc., filed the federal unfair labor practice charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) today. A letter dated May 26, 2006, from AFSCME officials to Smith’s employer unlawfully demanded her termination despite the fact that union officials never informed employees at the facility of their right to refrain from formal union membership and pay a reduced fee, nor did they inform Smith of the amount of forced union dues she supposedly owes.

AFSCME officials’ unlawful demands come on the heels of a petition she and her coworkers filed in September 2005 seeking an election to rid their workplace of the unwanted union. The employees recently appealed a local NLRB official’s decision to block the election using unrelated unfair labor practice charges filed by union officials against the company. The full NLRB in Washington, DC, will evaluate that appeal and decide whether to hold an election.

Foundation attorneys cite that AFSCME officials failed to inform employees at the Detroit East Community Mental Health Center of their right to object to paying for union political and other non-bargaining activities, failed to provide sufficient financial information (as required by U.S. Supreme Court rulings) regarding the union’s expenditures, and failed to apprise them of any procedures for filing objections to the union’s calculations.

“The top brass of the self-described ‘union . . . that cares’ seems to care little about employees who oppose the union,” said [Stefan Gleason](mailto:shg@nrtw.org), vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “These heavy-handed tactics demonstrate how far union officials will go to keep a steady stream of forced union dues flowing into union coffers.”

AFSCME officials’ demands violate workers’ rights recognized under the Foundation-won U.S. Supreme Court Communications Workers v. Beck decision. Under Beck and subsequent NLRB rulings, union officials must specifically inform employees of their right to refrain from formal union membership and withhold forced dues unrelated to collective bargaining

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.