According to the Nat. Right to Work Foundation, Teamsters Local 473 along with the Akron Beacon-Journal illegally told a newspaper employee he would be fired for refusing to join the union. In an effort to head off the illegal action and save the worker’s job, NRTWF attorneys filed federal labor charges Jan. 26 and sought a federal injunction. NRTWF’s charges detail blatantly illegal conduct by Teamsters bosses in forcing Roderic Paulk to become a full, formal member of the union as a condition of employment and to pay full union dues. “Mr. Paulk is being railroaded for the crime of exercising his right to say ‘No’ to union bosses and their politics,” said NRTWF spokesman Stefan Gleason. Under numerous U.S. Supreme Court precedents and Nat. Labor Relation Board decisions — including the NRTWF-won Communication Workers of Am. v. Beck — employees may not be forced to become full members of the union or pay full dues as a condition of employment. Instead, they may refrain from formal union membership and pay dues only to cover the costs of collective bargaining. If granted, the federal injunction would bar the newspaper from firing Paulk while the charges are investigated. Once the NLRB issues a formal complaint, it will be up to an NLRB administrative law judge to determine exactly how Teamsters and newspaper officials violated federal labor law and NRTWF-won Supreme Court precedents.
