On September 17, 2019, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys issued a legal notice to over 46,000 General Motors employees who are currently being affected by the strike organized by United Auto Workers (UAW) union bosses.
The strike order and legal notice come in the middle of a heated federal investigation dealing with the misappropriation of funds by UAW executives. This investigation has already led to criminal charges and FBI raids against current and retired union officials— which includes current and past UAW bosses.
The legal notice serves to inform everyday GM workers of their rights UAW bosses won’t tell them about. Above all, their right to keep working and put food on the table despite the union-ordered strike.
The notice details why workers routinely turn to the National Right to Work Foundation for free legal aid during these situations: “This strike raises serious concerns for employees who believe there is much to lose from a union-ordered strike. That is why workers confronted with strike demands frequently contact the Foundation to learn how they can avoid fines and other vicious union discipline for continuing to report to work to support themselves and their families.”
The full notice can be found here: www.nrtw.org/UAW-GM
The notice also highlights a recent victory Foundation staff attorneys won for a Michigan auto worker whose rights were infringed upon by UAW officials. In a National Labor Relations Board decision that came about earlier this month, the board sustained that UAW officials illegally seized dues from the worker’s paycheck and made the union return the funds.
“Given the swirling federal corruption and embezzlement scandal now engulfing the highest levels of the UAW hierarchy, it is understandable that many rank-and-file GM employees may conclude that this strike is more about distracting from UAW boss misdeeds than what is actually best for rank-and-file workers,” declared National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Individual workers must decide for themselves whether abandoning their jobs at the behest of UAW bosses is really what is best for them and their families, especially given recent reports that officials at the highest levels of the UAW hierarchy are in the crosshairs of the FBI.”
“Striking GM workers have the legal right to return to work, but it is imperative they read the full legal notice in order to protect themselves against any UAW officials’ attempts to punish them for returning to work and rebuffing union strike demands,” Mix continued.
