New York, N.Y. (April 15, 2002) — With the help of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, a New York University (NYU) employee today filed charges against union officials for illegally forcing her to pay full union dues, including dues spent for politics.

Raechel Legakes, a non-union member, is filing charges with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against United Staff Association of New York University (USANYU), Local 3882.

“This is a clear case of union officials demanding workers shut up and pay up,” said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Without the protection of a Right to Work law, New Yorkers are forced to pay compulsory union dues or risk losing their jobs.”

When Legakes began working for NYU in January, union officials failed to notify her of her right to refrain from joining the union and to pay a reduced agency fee to the union. Instead, the USANYU has demanded she pay the full cost of union dues, and has refused to provide a breakdown of how the agency fee is calculated. Under New York law, if Legakes does not pay the agency fee, she could be fired from her job.

The USANYU is affiliated with the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) and the AFL-CIO, two of the most politically active unions in the country. Every year, both organizations seize millions of dollars in compulsory dues to support candidates and causes that many of their members find objectionable. Polls have consistently shown that a majority of rank-and-file union members object to having their dues spent for political activities.

“Unfortunately, this not an isolated incident. Union bosses routinely break the law to try and shake down workers to pay for their political activities,” stated Gleason.

The actions of USANYU officials directly violate the Foundation-won Supreme Court decision in Chicago Teachers Union v. Hudson, which requires unions to provide objecting employees an advance reduction of forced union dues used for politics and other non-bargaining activities. Under Hudson, union officials must provide audited disclosure of their books and justify expenditures made from forced union dues seized from employees who have chosen to refrain from union membership.

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.