Union officials threaten nonmember worker with benefits cuts unless she pays union dues

Union officials threaten nonmember worker with benefits cuts unless she pays union dues

Las Vegas, NV (June 26, 2013) – With free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys, a Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino worker has filed a federal charge against a local union for violating her right to refrain from union affiliation.

Nani Sugianto filed the federal unfair labor practice charge with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) last week against the Culinary Workers Union Local 226.

According to the charge, after union brass signed a new contract with the hotel, a union steward illegally threatened Sugianto that she would lose all of her benefits and her seniority, and would be required to start over again as a new hire, unless she paid union dues even though she is not a union member.

Under Nevada's Right to Work law, workers cannot be forced to pay union dues or fees as a condition of their employment.

"Workers' rights are not a casino game," said Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation. "We call on the NLRB to call the union officials' bluff and stop these outrageous threats."

Twenty-four states have Right to Work protections for employees. Public polling shows that nearly 80 percent of Americans and union members support the principle of voluntary unionism.