Kroger employees challenge forced-dues schemes by UFCW

Cornett's charges indicate that he requested an updated version of the union contract from Kroger in February. The contract would have required him and other nonmembers to pay dues following Michigan’s repeal of its Right to Work law. Neither UFCW nor Kroger provided such a contract. Without this contract, UFCW lacks legal grounds to demand any money from workers.

Additionally, Cornett claims that union officials told him it was a condition of employment for employees to become union members and authorize direct deductions of union dues from their paychecks. This included signing a form authorizing deductions for the union’s PAC—a practice forbidden by federal law.

Carroll's case involves similar allegations. He contends that UFCW bosses coerced him into signing an illegal “dual-purpose” membership form authorizing both union membership and dues deductions with a single signature. Federal labor law requires separate authorizations for these actions.

“Not only did UFCW bosses present me with a form that clearly violates federal labor law, but they also threatened that I would lose my job if I didn’t sign it,” commented Carroll.

National Right to Work Foundation Vice President Patrick Semmens stated: “Even where Right to Work isn’t in effect, federal law protects the right of workers not to be forced into formal union membership that includes support for union politics.”

Semmens emphasized the need for Right to Work protections so employees can voluntarily choose whether or not to support unions financially.