UAW Violates Right to Work Law

United Auto Workers union bosses ignored the Hoosier state’s Right to Work Law by forcing Tropicana casino dealer Willie Smith to join United Auto Workers Local 3048.  National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation attorneys have filed suit on Smith’s behalf.  Chris Cheney has the story on www.nrtw.org.

In late January 2016, a union official told Smith that he owed back union dues from the time he first started working at the casino. Smith was further told he had to sign a UAW membership form and dues deduction authorization form or his employment would be terminated.  Federal labor law protects a worker’s right not to join a labor union, so Smith exercised that right and refused to sign the membership form. Smith was then told by a casino representative that, at the unions’ behest, his employment would be terminated.  Under protest and solely to keep his job, Smith then signed the United Auto Workers membership and dues authorization forms.

Smith alleges union officials have failed to inform him of the exact amount of back dues they are demanding, and failed to give him adequate time to pay the back dues before they threatened his termination. Smith further alleges that, because the monopoly bargaining contract (under which union officials are demanding these fees) has expired, he has no legal obligation to pay the demanded back dues.

“Even in a Right to Work state like Indiana, union bosses just can’t seem to resist pressuring workers to fill their forced-dues funded coffers,†said Mark Mix, president of the NRTW Foundation. “It’s wrong that a hardworking individual trying to support his family has to endure intimidation and harassment on the job from union bosses.â€

The National Labor Relations Board Region 25 office in Indianapolis will now investigate the charge.