According to Freedom at Work, a truck driver from Michigan has filed federal charges against the United Auto Workers (UAW) for “using intimidation and coercion to stop her from exercising her rights under Michigan’s Right to Work law.”
The National Right to Work Foundation offered free legal assistance to the CEVA Logistics U.S., Inc. truck driver, Kathileen Sulkowski.
Charges were filed with the National Labor Relations Board office in Detroit on Wednesday.
According to the suit, in August, Sulkowski sent a letter to the UAW, resigning from the UAW, and informing them she’d no longer be paying her union dues.
“Under Michigan’s Right to Work law, no worker can be forced to join or pay dues to a union as a condition of employment,” Freedom at Work reported.
A month later, a UAW Local 600 representative allegedly sent Sulkowski a letter denying her request to terminate her affiliation with the union. The official told Sulkowski she had to cancel her membership in person and provide a photo I.D.
“When Michigan passed its right-to-work law, it said the new law goes into effect for workers once their current contract expires. Sulkowski’s contract had expired by the time she sent the letter to Local 600 officials, said Anthony Riedel, spokesman for the National Right to Work Foundation,” Reuters reported.
“Across the state, union officials are pulling out all the stops to keep workers from exercising their rights under Michigan’s Right to Work law,” said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. “UAW union officials’ latest tactic to show up in person and furnish photo identification is designed to dissuade or intimidate workers from exercising their rights to refrain from membership.”
“On the UAW’s website, the union hierarchy opposes what it calls ‘outrageous voter ID laws’ but apparently union officials have no problem requiring ID for workers who want to resign and cut off union dues, including dues money spent to promote the union boss position on voter ID legislation,” continued Mix.
The National Right to Work staff attorneys work with workers throughout Michigan in “challenging union officials’ schemes to stonewall workers attempts to exercise their rights under the state’s Right to Work law.”‘
Sources:
Freedom at Work- The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation
Reuters