The Seattle City Council is considering a measure to hand over drivers’ personal contact information to union officials so drivers can be forced to pay union dues

Springfield, VA (September 23, 2015) – The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation has issued this special legal notice to all Seattle-area independent, for-hire drivers, alerting them to an impending threat to their individual freedom.

Acting at the behest of union officials, the Seattle City Council is targeting independent drivers, such as those who contract with Uber and Lyft, for mandatory unionization and the seizure of compulsory union fees. The Seattle City Council is considering enacting a bill, which can be found here, that:

(1) requires that independent drivers’ personal information, including their home and email addressesand phone numbers, be turned over to union officials;

(2) authorizes exclusive union representation of independent drivers, in which union officials gain legalauthority to speak and contract for all independent drivers who contract with a company, irrespective of whether an individual driver approves or not; and

(3) authorizes union officials to make agreements with companies that “require membership of for-hiredrivers in the [union] . . . as a condition of being hired, contracted with, or partnered with by the driver coordinator to provide for-hire services to the public.”

The legality of Seattle’s imminent attempt to foist compulsory unionization on independent drivers is highly suspect and may be susceptible to legal challenge.

If you are an independent driver in the Seattle area who values your independence, and oppose being forced to submit to mandatory union representation and forced union dues, you can contact the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation for information about your rights and legal options.

Since 1968, the Foundation has worked in the courts to expand and protect the rights of individuals to choose to refrain from union representation and membership. It is the nation’s premier organization exclusively dedicated to providing free legal assistance to individual victims of forced unionism.

If you are an independent driver who wants to learn more about your legal rights and options, contact a Foundation staff attorney toll free at 1-800-336-3600, or via email to legal@nrtw.org, or by clicking here.

“Big Labor union bosses and their Seattle political allies are desperate to force more workers into the depleted ranks of forced unionism,” said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “It is outrageous that for-hire drivers could soon be forced to forfeit a portion of their earnings to a union to continue to work with companies like Uber and Lyft. The National Right to Work Foundation will proudly offer free legal aid to drivers opposed to this violation of their rights.”

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.