General Motors (GM) employee Joseph Small filed an unfair labor practice charge against the United Auto Worker (UAW) Local 652 union while the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation providing him with free legal aid.
According to the charge that National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), union officials interfered during the interview and hiring process for a position opening at GM which Small had applied to. Union officials later admitted that the position was taken by a union member instead of Small because Small opted to legally reject joining the union and paying union dues.
Under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA), the UAW union officials’ discriminatory actions violated Small’s legal rights. The NLRA bans union officials from discriminating against workers who choose to not join a union. Small exercised his rights in accordance to Michigan’s Right to Work law, which allows workers to decline joining a union and also protects their right to stop paying union dues or fees as a condition of employment.
This unfair labor practice charge filed by Small comes around the same times as UAW officials are organizing a national strike against GM which affects over 40,000 workers. The Foundation issued a special notice to GM employees telling them about their legal rights to not participate in the strike and get back to work and support their families.
The notice can be read here: www.nrtw.org/UAW-GM
Additionally, UAW officials are mired in a growing corruption and embezzlement scandal that has brought about numerous indictments, with the FBI raiding the home of current UAW President Gary Jones a few weeks ago.
In another case that Foundation staff attorneys were busy battling earlier this month, the NLRB ruled that UAW officials illegally seized dues from a Ford Motors worker’s paycheck and ordered the union to return the funds.
“UAW union officials continue to show a willingness to break the law, even violating the rights of the very workers they claim to represent,” declared National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Whether it be federal corruption prosecutions or unfair labor practice charges at the NLRB, UAW bosses must be held accountable when they break the law.”
