The Supreme Court of the United States ruled in favor of the First Amendment and against compelled political speech in Janus v. AFSCME for public workers, but that does not mean the work of the attorneys provided by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is over. In fact, unions are now working in overdrive to keep employees trapped any way they can in order to steal individuals' hard earned cash to line their pockets -- particularly with private sector employees. The latest case of tyrannical abuse comes at the hands of Big Labor in Oregon. There, an ESPN cameraman has filed federal charges against the National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians (NABET-CWA) union after its bosses threatened to get him fired if he did not hand over thousands of dollars they claim he owed them.
According to a press release by the NRTWF, "Jeremy Brown, a daily hire for ESPN, states in his charge that since April 1 he had declined membership in NABET and therefore could only be required to pay the part of union fees chargeable to nonmembers under federal law."
However, since "Oregon lacks a Right to Work law, which would make union membership and financial support voluntary, private sector employees who fall under the monopoly bargaining power of a union must still pay a fee to union officials as a condition of employment."
This means that Brown has to pay some fees in order to work, but not necessarily join the union completely. However, union officials are required to provide a break down of how exactly his fees would be spent, or they cannot take money from his paycheck.
Well the NABET, in this case, did no such thing. In response, Brown filed a National Labor Relations Board complaint that said, "union officials...demanded an initiation fee of $6,456 and an additional $3,429.60 in past dues from him in a letter, and threatened that he would be fired if he did not pay."
His charge explains that "despite Brown’s objection, NABET has not 'provided him with a reduction of the fee to an amount that includes only lawfully chargeable costs or notice of the calculation of that amount.'"
NRTF President Mark Mix told Townhall that, "This case, like thousands of others, shows why every worker in America needs the protection of a Right to Work law guaranteeing that that all union membership and financial support is strictly voluntary and the choice of each individual.”
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