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Drivers employed by Energy Transfer, an oil and gas transportation entity operating in Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana, are seeking a National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) vote to terminate the United Steelworkers (USW) union's bargaining powers over their workgroup. Jay Fifer, a driver from Hearne, TX, filed the petition with the NLRB, supported by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation's free legal assistance. If successful, this vote could release over 420 Energy Transfer drivers from the USW union officials' oversight.
The NLRB is responsible for enforcing private-sector federal labor laws, including conducting votes on union certification and decertification. The petition, which exceeds the signature requirement for a union decertification vote, is now under NLRB review.
Texas, Oklahoma, and Louisiana Right to Work laws prevent USW union officials from mandating payment of dues or fees for employment at Energy Transfer. Even in these states, union officials can still apply monopoly bargaining contracts to all employees within a work unit, regardless of individual union membership or support. Fifer's case highlights this issue, as work units can encompass hundreds of workers across multiple cities or states.
