Even as the FBI investigates Norwood Jewell (pictured at right) for allegedly living the high life with money that was supposed to benefit workers, he is eligible to collect a pension derived from workers’ forced dues and fees. Credit: uaw.org
National Right to Work Legislation Introduced in U.S.
Senate
According to a February 1 article by Detroit News
court reporter Robert Snell, federal criminal charges could be filed against
the United Auto Workers (UAW) in connection with a widening corruption
scandal.
U.S. attorneys have already repeatedly labeled the UAW
union, along with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) and a worker training center
jointly operated by the two entities, as
a “co-conspirator” in a scheme to pilfer millions of dollars from the
center.
Three ex-UAW bosses have already pleaded guilty to
participating in the looting. And, as Mr. Snell and other journalists have
noted, multiple additional former and current UAW bosses are now under
investigation by the FBI for misappropriation of training center funds and
other crimes.
Funds Designated For Workers Paid For a $30,000 Bash Honoring
UAW Honcho
Meanwhile, federal labor law continues to force tens of
thousands of auto-assembly and auto-parts manufacturing workers in states like
Missouri, Ohio and Illinois to pay dues or fees to the UAW brass as a condition
of employment.
If they refuse, they will be fired.
According to a prosecutor who spoke with Mr. Snell, former
UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell is one of
“lots of individuals and entities” who are currently under criminal
investigation.
Among the acts for which Mr. Jewell potentially faces an
indictment is the tapping of money from the FCA/UAW National Training Center
(NTC) to “pay for more than $10,000 worth of golf resort accommodations” in
Palm Springs, Calif., and tickets for Disney World in Orlando, Fla.
The Palm Springs discovery is “part of a broader focus on
how UAW officials spent training funds” and worker union dues (largely
involuntary) in this desert resort city.
Prior to ascending to the UAW presidency in June 2018, union
Region 5 Director Gary Jones held annual conferences in Palm Springs.
The FBI is also looking into the alleged expenditure of
$30,000 in NTC money to throw a party for Mr. Jewell.
According to a June 2018 article for the News
coauthored by Mr. Snell, party guests were served “‘ultra-premium’ liquor.”
“Strolling models” lit union officials’ cigars.
And a $3,000 tab was racked up in order to buy “wine in
bottles with custom labels” that featured Mr. Jewell’s name.
Under Investigation, But Still Eligible For a
Forced-Dues-Funded Pension
National Right to Work Committee President Mark Mix
commented:
“Many auto-industry workers across the U.S. are surely
unhappy about the fact that, as a consequence of the pro-union monopoly
National Labor Relations Act [NLRA], they must remain subject to the rule of a
union that the FBI labels as a ‘co-conspirator’ in years of criminal activity.
“Despite the legal jeopardy faced by the UAW and a number of
its current and former officers, workers are still being forced by federal law
to accept UAW bosses as their ‘exclusive’ bargaining agent on matters
concerning their pay, benefits and work rules.
“And auto workers employed in states that still lack Right
to Work protections for private-sector employees can still be forced to pay for
Norwood Jewell’s pension and retirement health benefits while the FBI
investigates him.
“On the other hand, FCA, GM and Ford employees in Right to
Work states like Michigan, Texas, Kentucky and Indiana are free to protest
allegedly rampant corruption by resigning from the UAW and cutting off all
financial support for it, without having to lose their jobs.”
If S.525, introduced by U.S. Sen. Rand Paul, becomes law, workers nationwide will be free both to join and pay dues to a labor union and to resign from and cease bankrolling a union they no longer support. Source: US Senate
Kentucky Senator Introduces Measure That Would End Forced
Union Dues and Fees
Mr. Mix continued:
“Big Labor corruption cases like the outrageous misuse of
worker training center money to which several UAW bosses and their FCA cohorts
have already confessed highlight the injustice of forced financial support for
unions, which is propped up and promoted by the federal government.
“No American worker in any state should be forced by law to
pay money to a union that may be corrupt, counterproductive, ineffective, or
all three, simply in order to get or keep a job.
“Fortunately, on February 14, U.S. Sen. Rand Paul [R-Ky.]
and 16 original cosponsors introduced S.525, the National Right to Work Act, on
Capitol Hill.
“This Valentine’s Day gift to the millions of American
workers who are still being forced to fork over dues or fees to a union they
never supported, or no longer support, would repeal all the provisions in
federal labor law that authorize compulsory payments to unions as a condition
of employment.
“In an age of legislative overreach, S.525 is one of the
shortest bills ever introduced.
“It does not add a single word to federal law. Instead, it
simply removes the handful of passages in the National Labor Relations Act
[NLRA] and the Railway Labor Act [RLA] that give union officials the power to
extract dues or fees from workers who wish to be union-free, or get them fired
if they refuse.”
It’s Washington, D.C.’s Responsibility to Fix Problem
That It Created
Although the NLRA does allow states to enact Right to Work
laws, and 27 states have already taken advantage of that prerogative, the
federal government is responsible for creating the problem of private-sector
forced unionism.
In fact, the forced-dues amendment to the RLA adopted by
Congress in 1951 actually blocks state Right to Work laws from protecting
employees in the railroad and airline industries.
As a consequence of the RLA, tens of thousands of railroad
and airline industry employees who hold jobs based in Right to Work states can
still be fired for refusal to pay union dues or fees, despite what the labor
laws of their own states say.
Moreover, thousands of additional defense, health-care, and
other industry employees who work at military bases, centers for disease
control, national parks, and other jurisdictions in Right to Work states that
are regarded as “exclusive federal enclaves” are currently forced by federal
law to bankroll a union.
One important benefit of S.525 is that it would close both
the RLA loophole and the “exclusive federal enclave” loophole that currently
prevent state Right to Work laws from protecting substantial numbers of
employees.
In the weeks and months ahead, Committee members and
legislative staff will press hard for hearings and floor votes on S.525 and
parallel national Right to Work legislation that is expected to be introduced
in the U.S. House of Representatives soon after this Newsletter edition goes to
press.
Nearly 80% of Americans Who Regularly Vote Support Right
to Work Principle
“After roll-call Right to Work floor votes in the Senate and
House, concerned citizens across the U.S. will know for sure which of their
federal elected officials support employee freedom of choice, and which are Big
Labor stooges,” Mr. Mix explained.
“That alone will make a major difference.
“Poll after poll shows nearly 80% of Americans who regularly
vote in federal elections support the Right to Work principle.
“Politicians who ignore what their constituents think and vote to perpetuate forced union dues may well suffer ballot-box repercussions down the road.”
If you have questions about whether union officials are violating your rights, contact the Foundation for free help. To take action by supporting The National Right to Work Committee and fueling the fight against Forced Unionism, click here to donate now.
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