Steelworker Union Bosses Slapped with Federal Charges for Continuing to Seize Dues from Worker’s Paycheck
Union officials ignore own rules to force worker into full dues paying union membership
Des Moines, Iowa (December 31, 2009) – With free legal assistance from the National Right to Work Foundation, a Bridgestone Corporation employee filed federal charges after his employer illegally diverted a portion of his paycheck to a local union to which the employee does not belong.
The case points out the need for strong and fully enforced Right to Work laws and other protections against forced unionism abuse. A few Iowa legislators have recently tried to repeal the state’s Right to Work law that makes union membership and dues payment voluntary – even though doing so would lead to employee rights violations on a massive scale.
Terry L. Welch of Polk City filed federal unfair labor practice charges at the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) against United Steelworkers Local 310 union bosses and Bridgestone.
In October, Welch resigned from the Steelworkers union and revoked his dues deduction authorization. Dues deduction authorizations are used by union officials to automatically withhold union dues from employee paychecks.
Under Iowa’s popular Right to Work law no worker can be required to join or pay any money to a union as a condition of employment. Additionally, the union’s own dues authorization card allows Welch to revoke his authorization at any time.
However, union officials are ignoring Welch’s repeated requests to exercise his legal rights. Despite the employee’s best efforts to resign from union membership and halt the dues seizures, Bridgestone continues to illegally deduct union dues from Welch’s paycheck and forward them to the union hierarchy.
The charges will now be investigated by the NLRB regional director in Des Moines who can prosecute the union officials and the company for violating the employee’s legal rights.
“Despite repeated requests, Steelworker union bosses are disregarding their own rules and ignoring Mr. Welch’s legitimate attempts to exercise his right to stop paying union dues,” said Stefan Gleason, vice president of the National Right to Work Foundation. “Fortunately, workers in the Hawkeye State have rights under federal law and Iowa’s Right to Work law to help combat the corrupt actions of unaccountable union bosses.”
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The Union Bosses, and every employee who helped sieze these funds can actually be prosecuted in criminal court for larceny, embezzalment, as well as Grand Theaft (Depending on the amount). Moreover, the employer can be charged criminally for aidingand abetting in the larceny, embezzalment, or possible wire fraud. So to can the bank which accepted the money, the employers check writing agent, and every one whom actually helps the Union recieve what amounts to stolen funds.
The employee needs to take his or her case to the local DA's office. All to often people are too affraid to press criminal charges, but some times that is all that gets through to these fat cat Union Bosses.
"Wait I can go to jail?" Tends to be the response. An example needs to be made from time to time. Prosecute criminally up the chain. Take down the whole criminal conspiracy to embezzal, commit larceny, and basically steel funds they know or should have known they had no right to. The employer is just as guilty. If the employee says "Give me my entire check, and I want nothing with-held!" That is their right!Short of a court order, the employer cutting the check, the bankers, as well as the crooked Union are all guilty across the board and up the chain. Throw them in jail! It won't happen again. Not to mention the Public Relation fiasco, such prosecutions will bring to the Union.
People need to learn to play hardball. Yes, sue in Civil Court, but don't forget Criminal Court. They are breaking the Law, and literally steeling after all. Jail is one hell of a deterant, or so I've been told ;).