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San Diego, CA (September 6, 2024) – Jesus Arellano and his coworkers at Reliance Metal Center in National City, CA, have successfully voted out Teamsters Local 683 union officials. The vote, in which 80% of Reliance Metal Center trucking and warehouse employees participated to oust the union, took place on August 19 and received certification from the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) on September 3. Arellano and his colleagues obtained the vote with free legal aid from National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys.
The NLRB is the federal agency responsible for enforcing federal labor law, which includes administering elections to install (or “certify”) and remove (or “decertify”) unions. Arellano initiated the process by submitting a “decertification petition” to the NLRB in July, containing signatures from the majority of his colleagues supporting a decertification election. A decertification petition requires support from 30% of a work unit to prompt the NLRB to hold an election.
Because California lacks Right to Work protections for its private sector workers, Teamsters officials had the legal power to enforce contracts requiring Arellano and his colleagues to pay dues or fees as a condition of employment. In contrast, in Right to Work states, union membership and financial support are voluntary. With this vote, Arellano and his coworkers are now free from both union officials’ power to contract on behalf of all employees in the work unit and the obligation to pay dues.
