Coca-Cola driver files federal charges against Teamsters over forced dues

Hammaker challenges the NLRB precedent regarding mandatory dues for politics. His charges claim that Teamsters policies force workers to opt out of non-chargeable expenditures rather than opting in voluntarily. Additionally, Hammaker alleges that the union failed to inform him and other employees about the actual amount of dues required under Beck.

If successful, Hammaker's case could lead to a new federal standard requiring unions to obtain clear consent from workers before deducting full dues from paychecks. He stated: “I don’t support Teamsters politicking. My job definitely shouldn’t hinge on whether or not my hard-earned money is funding it.”

Mark Mix, President of the National Right to Work Foundation, commented: “Like the rest of top Big Labor bosses, Teamsters kingpins oppose popular Right to Work laws so they can extort dues from unwilling workers and use that money to fund a radical political agenda that is completely out of touch with the priorities of most rank-and-file employees.” He added that Congress should ensure all union payments are voluntary and protect workers from forced-dues-for-politics abuses.

Mix concluded: “It’s long past time that the NLRB require union officials to earn political support from those workers they claim to ‘represent’ and end schemes that require workers to opt-out of funding union political activities.”