BOSTON (Legal Newsline) - A worker for a Massachusetts janitorial firm filed a complaint against the Service Employees International Union, alleging a violation of his National Labor Relations Act right.
Jairo Hernandez of Lynn, Mass., filed a complaint with the National Labor Relations Board's regional office in Boston against the Service Employees International Union Local 615. He filed the charges for himself and his coworkers at Complete Cleaning.
SEIU Local 615 officials claimed collective bargaining privileges with Complete Cleaning even though workers nearly unanimously oppose the union hierarchy in their workplace, according to the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which is providing free legal assistance for the workers in the case. Under federal law, it is illegal for a union to claim such a status without the consent of the majority of the employees.
The SEIU filed a complaint to force the employer to negotiate a contact with the union. The NRWF said in a written statement that because Massachusetts does not have a Right-to-Work law making union dues payments strictly voluntary, SEIU officials will almost certainly demand a contract that forces Complete Cleaning's workers into union dues payments.
"SEIU officials are pulling out all the stops to force their so-called 'representation' - and with it forced dues payments - down workers' throats," said Mark Mix, NRWF president. "Massachusetts desperately needs a Right to Work law to make it less difficult for workers to keep predatory union bosses in check."