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Nicholas Lenning, an EMT with Medstar Ambulance in Clinton Township, Michigan, has filed federal unfair labor practice charges against United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Union Local 876. The charges allege illegal deductions of union dues from his paycheck without his consent, in violation of federal law. Lenning submitted the charges to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with assistance from National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorneys.
Lenning claims that UFCW Local 876 deducted dues from his paycheck without a signed dues authorization card and failed to inform him of his rights under the Supreme Court’s Communication Workers of America v. Beck decision. This ruling prohibits unions from requiring workers to pay for activities beyond collective bargaining.
According to Lenning's charge, he has never been a union member or signed any membership or dues authorization cards during his nearly three years at Medstar Ambulance. Despite this, UFCW officials allegedly began deducting dues in March 2024, sometimes taking extra funds for back dues. These deductions started shortly after Michigan’s Right to Work law was repealed in early February. Lenning reportedly sought information about his rights under Beck via email but received no response from the union.
