Foundation says teamster officials abuse UPSA employees with illegal coercion, threats; Union hierarchy assaults Va. Right-to-Work Law.

NORFOLK, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--April 14, 1997--National Right to Work Foundation attorneys Monday filed a major unfair labor practice case against the Teamsters union for establishing an illegal scheme designed to strip United Parcel Service (UPS) employees of their Right to Work.

According to the attorneys, officials of Teamsters Local 822 devised the scheme -- which illegally forces UPS employees who have chosen not to join the union to pay compulsory dues -- for the purpose of punishing and preventing objections to the union hierarchy's activities.

The Virginia legislature explicitly outlawed this practice 50 years ago when it passed the state's highly-popular Right to Work law.

A Right to Work law prohibits the seizure of any dues or fees from workers who choose not to associate with a union.

"The Teamsters bosses know full well that they can't collect compulsory dues from workers who are not members of the union, but they're trying to do it anyway," said Timothy McConville, vice president of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation which offers free legal aid to employees.

"Once again, Big Labor is demonstrating its deep contempt for worker freedom and Virginia's Right to Work law." The unfair labor practice charge, filed at the National Labor Relations Board (N LRB) on behalf of UPS deliveryman James Bryan Bowyer, details the union officials' illegal practice of forcing workers to pay a "service charge" to the union for performing under its specially-granted monopoly bargaining privilege -- a privilege that Big Labor clamored for (and won) in 1935 during the New Deal.

Under such monopoly bargaining arrangements, workers are unconditionally forced to accept a union as their exclusive agent, and all workers are prevented from negotiating with their employer individually.

In states like Virginia, however, union officials may not demand payment from objecting workers for this so-called "representation."

The charge also describes the Teamsters officials' illegal refusal to cease the seizure of dues from Bowyer's paycheck even after he resigned from the union and revoked his "dues check-off authorization."

The Teamsters officials claimed that his revocation was "untimely." Workers in Virginia and other Right to Work states are usually entitled to revoke their dues check-off authorization at any time, according to decades of legal precedent.

Since organized labor spent $500 million of workers' wages on political activities in 1996, many have decided to take action by resigning from their union, thereby cutting off financial support to the union hierarchy.

"By instituting these illegal harassment and intimidation policies, the Teamsters officials clearly intend to prevent UPS employees from withdrawing any funding of Big Labor's narrow political agenda," said McConville. "The union's high command is terrified that the trickle of resignations may turn into a flood."

The NLRB Regional Director will investigate the charges and decide exactly how the Teamsters officials violated the National Labor Relations Act.

Foundation attorneys are confident that they will force the Teamsters officials to own up to their wrongdoing. "Foundation attorneys are going to teach the Teamsters brass a little respect for the law," declared McConville.

Foundation attorneys filed another unfair labor practice charge against UPS for acceding to the union chiefs' unlawful demands and continuing to deduct union dues from Bowyer's wages even after he resigned and revoked his payroll "check-off."

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 800-336-3600, is representing thousands of employees in over 400 cases nationwide.

CONTACT: Stefan Gleason or Tim McConville, 703/321-8510

both of the National Right to Work Foundation