Fred Meyer grocery store employee Robert Wendelschafer prevailed on April 16 in a dispute with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 555 after the union sought to fine him for working during a strike in 2024. The case was resolved following nearly two years of legal proceedings, with Wendelschafer receiving free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys.
The issue highlights ongoing debates about workers’ rights regarding union membership and discipline. The case centered on whether UFCW officials could fine Wendelschafer for returning to work after he resigned his union membership. According to the press release, “UFCW bosses then apparently attempted to use this supposed four-hour delay as a technicality to justify a fine for $992, announced in a December 2024 letter, after finding him ‘guilty’ of violating internal UFCW rules.” Longstanding law states that unions cannot discipline non-members.
After Unfair Labor Practice charges were filed with the National Labor Relations Board Region 19 in early 2025, UFCW Local 555 rescinded its attempt to impose the strike fine. As the union recognized Wendelschafer’s resignation and dropped its disciplinary action, the NLRB did not proceed further against UFCW.
Cases like Wendelschafer’s are not isolated. Foundation staff attorneys have also represented more than a dozen King Soopers and Safeway employees in Colorado who faced similar fines from another local of UFCW for continuing work during strikes.
Mark Mix, president of National Right to Work Foundation, said: “We are pleased to have been able to defend Mr. Wendelschafer against UFCW union bosses’ attempts to punish him for exercising his legal rights.” Mix added: “That union officials even attempted to claim that a four-hour delay in the delivery of a membership resignation letter should warrant ‘union discipline’ fines that amount to over $200 per hour is yet another demonstration that union boss greed and vindictiveness against rank-and-file workers has no limit.”
The National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation works on protecting employees from compulsory unionism by offering free legal aid and public education according to its official website. The foundation advances workers’ freedom through strategic litigation on issues related to compulsory unionism according to its official website. It also delivers free legal assistance and educational resources aimed at safeguarding workers’ rights against mandatory fees as noted on its official website, focusing broadly on labor rights advocacy according to its official website.
Mix concluded: “All American workers wishing to continue to work to support themselves and their families should be able to do so freely without illegal retaliation from union bosses.”
