The National Right To Work Legal Foundation has been busy defending members of the SEIU and UFCW from illegal forced-dues schemes imposed by the unions. In West Virginia, SEIU District 1199 enforces an “annual objection” policy, despite legal precedent established in the U.S. Supreme Court decision in Communication Workers of America v. Beck (1988), in which the Court held that union officials can not lawfully compel nonmembers to pay the part of union dues spent for non-bargaining activities like political activism, lobbying, and member-only events. Six employees, with the help of the NRTW Legal Foundation, filed a federal complaint against the local. Patrick Semmens, Director of Legal Information at National Right to Work, said of the action,
“The SEIU District 1199 union officials’ illegal behavior shows they’re just after forced union dues revenue. This blatant disregard for the rights of the workers SEIU bosses claim to represent shows why West Virginia needs to pass a state Right to Work law making union dues payment completely voluntary.”
In the Right-To-Work state of Arizona, the National Labor Relations Board regional office in Phoenix has issued a statewide complaint alleging that local UFCW union bosses and Fry’s Food Stores are illegally blocking independent-minded workers from stopping union dues payments. When UFCW Local 99 threatened to strike last November, many disgruntled members resigned from the union and revoked their automatic dues deductions, during a time when the union did not have a contract in place, as allowed by law.
