Michigan Right To Work Fight Continues - 15 More File Charges Against Machinists

Welcome to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation weekly news update. In this week's report we update our continuing legal battle to protect Michigan's Right To Work laws in addition to helping 15 More Caterpillar employees file charges against the Machinists union.

Let's begin in Michigan.

National Right to Work attorneys moved to defend America's newest Right to Work Law against a union boss federal lawsuit on behalf of 4 Michiganders.

Ford Motor Company employees Terry Bowman and Brian Pannebecker; employee Aaric Aaron Lewis; and Aunt Millie's Bakery employee Robert G. Harris filed the motion to intervene in the United States Eastern District Court. All four workers are currently forced to financially support a union in order to keep their jobs.

In February, the Michigan State AFL-CIO, the union-affiliated group Change to Win, and the AFL-CIO-affiliated Michigan State Building and Construction Trades Council union filed a federal lawsuit claiming that federal labor law preempts Michigan's Right to Work law.

However, federal labor law explicitly gives states the power to pass Right to Work laws. National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys have successfully defended state Right to Work laws from similar union-backed challenges numerous times, and the U.S. Supreme Court has long held that state Right to Work laws are constitutional.

"Union bosses can't stand the fact that Michigan workers now have Right to Work protection," said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. "The court should allow these four workers to defend their workplace freedom in this lawsuit that has far-reaching implications for all Michigan workers."

Although Michigan's recently-enacted Right to Work law states that no employee can be required to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment, forced dues contracts between union officials and employers entered into prior to the effective date of the law remain in force throughout the state.
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A few weeks ago, we reported that 2 dozen Caterpillar employee filed charges against the International Association of Machinists union, Local 851. This week, 15 more CAT employees have filed charges.
With free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, these Caterpillar employees filed federal charges against the union for violating their rights and levying retaliatory strike fines in the wake of last summer's union boss-instigated strike against Caterpillar.
Under federal law, employees who are not members of a union cannot be disciplined for continuing to work during a union boss-ordered strike. However, Machinist union officials levied fines totaling over a million dollars against CAT employees who continued to work during the strike.
"As more Caterpillar workers come forward, the pattern of abuse perpetrated by IAM union bosses becomes clearer," said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. "The aftermath of the Caterpillar strike underscores the need for an Illinois Right to Work law. Machinist union officials appear to have made their standard operating procedure one of intimidation and violation of Caterpillar employees' rights when they do not toe the union line."
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Thank you for watching and we hope you will tune --in for next week's update of National Right To Work's ongoing battle against forced unionism.
Please visit NRTW.org for information about these and other cases; or to inquire about the Foundation's free legal services.

Published on Apr 24, 2013

Pennsylvania teacher has to sue NEA union and Downingtown Area School District administrators ignoring her union resignation.

Teamsters continued to strike out at Supreme Court and may finally pay up.

Published on Apr 22, 2013

A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. However, employees who work in the railway or airline industries are not protected by a Right to Work law, and employees who work on a federal enclave may not be.

Visit the National Right to Work Website by clicking HERE

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Right to Work - Free Help For VW Employees - 2 Dozen CAT Employees Fight Union - Nurses Sue SEIU

This week the Foundation announced a special program for Chattanooga, TN's Volkswagen Employees and legal actions involving the Machinists and SEIU unions.
The Right to Work Foundation is Offering Free Legal Aid to Chattanooga Volkswagen Employees in response to a public report that the United Auto Workers union reportedly pressuring Volkswagen to allow UAW to bargain for all the plant's employees.

Mark Mix said, "The National Right to Work Foundation has seen again and again the UAW union hierarchy pressure companies to cut backroom deals designed to push workers into a union without employees' support."
"For example, UAW officials vetoed pay increases and secretly pre-negotiated bargaining concessions at the expense of Freightliner workers in North and South Carolina in exchange for company assistance in unionizing the workers."

Workers who feel they are being unfairly pressured when deciding whether or not to associate with the UAW union may request free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys by calling 1-800-336-3600 or on the Foundation's website at www.nrtw.org.

In California, the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) officials have violated the Foundation-won Federal Settlement dating back to 2011.

With free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a Sutter Roseville Medical Center respiratory care practitioner filed another federal charge against the SEIU union for violating a federal settlement.

Back in 2011, Mary Massen won a National Labor Relations Board settlement against SEIU's United Healthcare Workers -- West union.

In Chicago, IL 24 Caterpillar Workers Filed Federal Charges Against Machinist Union Officials for illegal Strike Fines after Union officials demanded hundreds of thousands of dollars in strike fines from Caterpillar employees.

The two dozen Caterpillar workers filed federal charges against a local Machinists union for violating their rights and levying retaliatory strike fines against them after they continued to work during the strike last summer.

With legal help from Foundation attorneys, the have been filed with the National Labor Relations Board. Foundation attorneys anticipate more charges will be filed for other Caterpillar workers at the facility.

However, union bosses recently levied fines totaling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars against the workers for continuing to work during the strike.
One worker alleges that union militants physically assaulted his wife and child.

A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. However, employees who work in the railway or airline industries are not protected by a Right to Work law, and employees who work on a federal enclave may not be.

Visit the National Right to Work Website by clicking HERE

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Right to Work - Police Union Violates Members' Rights - Michigan Right To Work now in-effect

Welcome to the National Right To Work's Weekly news wrap-up.

This week's update includes Michigan's Right To Work law going into effect and the Missouri FOP union.

Please visit www.NRTW.org for information about these and other cases; or to inquire about the Foundation's free legal services.

Published on Apr 4, 2013

A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. However, employees who work in the railway or airline industries are not protected by a Right to Work law, and employees who work on a federal enclave may not be.

Visit the National Right to Work Website by clicking HERE

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Right to Work - Plumbers and AFT Union Officials forced to concede - plus IKEA - Machinists and more

This week's update covers action involving the AFT, Plumbers, and Machinists unions.
To protect his constitutional rights against, a New York educator fights the New York State United Teachers union. National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys took the first step by filing New York Public Employment Relations Board charges against the NEA-AFT local.
Teachers' union officials ignored Miller's rights and continue to collect full union dues from his paychecks and have failed to provide without providing any Supreme Court-precedent procedural protections.
Even though Delaware does not have Right to Work protections making union affiliation completely voluntary, the U.S. Supreme Court has long held that workers have the right to refrain from full-dues-paying union membership.
Ignoring constitutional protections, Plumbers and Pipe Fitters union officials deducted full union dues from these employees' paychecks.
After federal charges were filed on behalf of these employees, union officials agreed to back off their threats and intimidation of the workers, and to refund illegally seized union dues.
"Plumbers Local 74 union officials flushed these workers' rights down the toilet in order to keep their forced dues gravy train going," said Mark Mix.
In another victory for National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, this time on the West Coast, school bus drivers slam the brake on AFT union officials' threats.
In Gresham, Oregon, a group of local school bus drivers won a federal settlement including back pay.
Oregon School Employees Union officials had illegally demanded that demanded that all drivers join the union and pay full union dues or be fired.
The settlement stems from a federal charge six of the drivers filed with the National Labor Relations Board Regional Office in Seattle with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
AFT union officials confiscated full union dues from the drivers' paychecks without informing the workers of their right to refrain from formal union membership. Union officials continued to confiscate full union dues from both drivers who refused to join the union.
After the six drivers represented by Foundation attorneys filed the federal charge, union officials were forced to settle the case and also agreed to refund back pay to four other drivers.
An update to one of our recent previous reports... With the help of National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, another Maryland IKEA employee filed federal unfair labor practice charges against IKEA and the International Association of Machinists union. Herman Brunswick, Jr. alleges that union officials failed to notify him of his rights not to join the union and pay full dues and illegally threatened to have him fired for refusing to pay up.
Brunswick's complaint follows similar charges filed by two of his coworkers, Kelvin Smith and Robert Rammel, last January.
Not only did IAM officials and IKEA fail to notify Brunswick and his coworkers of their rights, they actively misled employees about their obligations to the union. IAM officials claimed that joining the union and paying full dues were required as a condition of employment. Faced with the prospect of losing his job,
When Brunswick asked about his right to refrain from financially supporting the IAM's political activities, he was told by a Machinists union official that he had no such rights. After he learned otherwise, Brunswick resigned from the union and objected to paying for union political activities. The IAM, however, refuses to honor his objections.
Brunswick's charges will now be investigated by the National Labor Relations Board, a federal agency responsible for administering private sector labor law.
"Union officials actively misled IKEA employees about their rights in order to collect more forced dues cash for the IAM's coffers," said Mark Mix

Published on Mar 26, 2013

A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. However, employees who work in the railway or airline industries are not protected by a Right to Work law, and employees who work on a federal enclave may not be.

Visit the National Right to Work Website by clicking HERE

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Right to Work - NBC Sports - CWA violate rights, Tenet and Nurses Union Neutrality Agreement Unfair

Welcome to the National Right To Work's weekly report. The National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation averages about 200 active cases at any given time. Our goal is to help keep you informed about these cases as they move through the legal system.

This week's update covers action involving the NBC Sports, the Communications Workers of America union, and California Nurses Association which is affiliated with National Nurses Organizing union.

A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. However, employees who work in the railway or airline industries are not protected by a Right to Work law, and employees who work on a federal enclave may not be.

Visit the National Right to Work Website by clicking HERE

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National Right to Work - Supreme Court Denies Teamsters Appeal, LIUNA Forced to Comply

Welcome to the National Right To Work's Weekly Wrap-up for the Fourth Week of February. The National Right To Work Legal Defense Foundation averages about 200 active cases at any given time. Our goal is to help keep you informed about these cases as they move through the legal system.
This week's update covers action involving the Teamsters union and the Laborers International union.

Aired March 1, 2013

A Right to Work law secures the right of employees to decide for themselves whether or not to join or financially support a union. However, employees who work in the railway or airline industries are not protected by a Right to Work law, and employees who work on a federal enclave may not be.

Visit the National Right to Work Website by clicking HERE

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Steven Crowder - Hannity Guest Confronts Steven Crowder - You Deserve What You Got

Sean Hannity continued to focus on union violence tonight and the plight of Fox News contributor Steven Crowder, who was punched while in the middle of a union protest in Michigan against right-to-work laws. Hannity brought Crowder back on his show tonight, along with union supporter Andy Sullivan, who not only opposed both Hannity and Crowder's positions on unions, but accused Crowder of releasing an edited tape and telling him he got what he deserved.
Hannity warned that the union violence might be an omen of things to come, including "blood in the streets" and "at some point, people may die." He touted how unions are losing, even in states where unions are considered particularly strong, and criticized President Obama for not condemning violence on the left.

Hannity brought up to Crowder how the people involved in the Michigan protest yesterday vigorously denied they tore down the tent, which Crowder practically laughed at. He dismissed criticism that he edited the video, and even if he did, he pointed to "hours" of footage of similar union violence on YouTube. Sullivan said Crowder's video was "well-edited," saying he saw video of Crowder pushing someone down.

Crowder immediately responded to Sullivan, and both of them got in a shouting match that led to this exchange (with quite a bit of crosstalk): Crowder: He was attacking a tent with women and children in it! People were pulling him off! Sullivan: Oh, he was attacking a tent! Then what were you doing? Crowder: We were there trying to prevent people from being hurt in the tent! Sullivan: Listen, Steve, you deserve what you got! Crowder: You are a liar, sir! Sullivan: You deserve what you got.

Sullivan scolded Crowder for taking potshots at union members who are just trying to speak out to protect their livelihoods. He said that union leadership are undoubtedly "taking advantage of" their members, but the violence Crowder says is widespread just isn't so. Crowder described the scene yesterday as a "melee" and said even if he had lacked restraint, it would not have justified his getting assaulted.

Sullivan said that he doesn't "need to be schooled by you" on unions, to which Crowder shot back with, "You just were!" Hannity asked Sullivan why right-to-work isn't fair, which Hannity framed as "freedom of choice." Sullivan agreed that there should be less "dictatorship" in the way unions are run, but said right-to-work laws are just too extreme.

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