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Henry Gonzalez, an AT&T-BellSouth employee in Miami, has filed federal charges against the Communications Workers of America (CWA) union. This marks the third such case in a month where a worker has challenged the union's actions. Gonzalez's charges were lodged with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with legal support from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. He alleges that CWA officials wrongly imposed fines exceeding $5,000 for his decision not to participate in a strike.
Under federal labor law, NLRB holds the authority to enforce rules in the private sector and handle cases of unfair labor practices. According to the law, union officials can only discipline formal union members. Gonzalez claims he resigned from the union before choosing to work during a strike, and as such, should not be subject to union fines.
"Federal labor law and U.S. Supreme Court decisions like NLRB v. General Motors protect workers’ right to freely maintain or end union membership," highlights the significance of workers' freedom to make personal union membership choices.
