Union coercion allegations discussed at congressional hearings

Heidi E. Schneider | Staff Attorney (2018-Present) | NRTWLD&EF, Inc

By Sky Industry News

Nov 7, 2024

The National Right to Work Foundation has been actively participating in discussions with the U.S. House Committee on Education and the Workforce, shedding light on practices by union leaders that it claims undermine worker freedom. The Foundation's representatives have made several appearances before Congress, emphasizing what they see as coercive tactics used by union bosses.

William Messenger, Vice President and Legal Director of the Foundation, testified at a hearing titled “Big Labor Lies: Exposing Union Tactics to Undermine Free and Fair Elections.” He highlighted concerns over federal labor policies that he believes allow unions to bypass secret ballot elections, thus depriving workers of fundamental voting rights when their workplaces are targeted for unionization.

In July, MIT Ph.D. student Will Sussman shared his experience before the U.S. House regarding alleged discrimination by MIT Graduate Student Union officials. Sussman reported being pressured to fund union activities that conflicted with his religious beliefs, despite voicing objections to what he described as anti-Israel stances taken by the union.

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Sussman's testimony was part of a hearing named “Confronting Union Antisemitism: Protecting Workers from Big Labor Abuses,” where Glenn Taubman, a veteran attorney from the Foundation providing legal support to Sussman and others facing similar issues, also spoke.

Patrick Semmens, Vice President of the National Right to Work Foundation, commented on these issues saying, “Whether it’s union officials seizing power in a workplace without giving employees a chance to vote or using graduate students’ money to fuel radical protests... these outrageous activities all have one thing in common — union boss privileges heavily ingrained in federal labor law.”

Messenger further criticized practices such as "card check," which allows unions to gain control without secret ballots. He argued this method subjects workers to intimidation and limits free speech under current NLRB regulations led by the Biden-Harris administration.

Sussman concluded his remarks urging legislative action: “This Congress should pass the National Right to Work Act so that unions have to earn their dues and think twice before discriminating against minorities.”