VOLUME 47, NUMBER 4 www.nrtwc.org April 2001 National Right to Work Measure Returns Will Republican Congressional Leaders Seize This Opportunity? Joined by 29 original cosponsors, Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte (R) reintroduced the National Right to Work Act (H.R.1109) in the U.S. House of Representatives March 20. A companion Right to Work Bill is expected to be introduced in the Senate within a few weeks. Under six National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) and Railway Labor Act (RLA) provisions, workers can now be fired for refusal to pay dues or “fees” to union officials whom federal bureaucrats have certified as their “exclusive” (monopoly) bargaining agents. Right to Work Supporters’ Hopes For Floor Votes Are Now Far Higher Emulating Leonid Brezhnev’s exile of autoworkers on “psychiatric leave” Soviet dissident Andrei Sakharov, UAW while Congress forces them to pay for Like other Right to Work measures union bosses are sending uncooperative UAW rule’s “benefits.” introduced by Mr. Goodlatte since 1995, his new bill would repeal all of these Monopoly-Bargaining Agent autoworkers who had refused to kowtow forced-dues provisions. to their local UAW brass were recently National Right to Work Committee Pins ‘Crazy’ Tag on Worker Who Dared to Challenge Him put on involuntary “psychiatric leave.” hopes for congressional floor votes on According to Mr. Shotwell, none of forced-dues repeal are far higher now Compulsory union dues are only half these workers had threatened or harmed than in previous years, since President anyone, or even been examined by a George W. Bush and the leaders of both of Congress’s double-pronged attack on employee freedom. mental-health professional, prior to being chambers of Congress are all on record in put on “leave.” favor of this measure. By denying individual employees the freedom to represent themselves in In all three cases, he wrote, “union With the White House’s backing, officials supported, assisted, and/or congressional Right to Work supporters negotiations with their employers, and instigated the action.” now have a window of opportunity to instead maintaining the union monopoly- One employee that Mr. Shotwell initiate a debate over the basic moral bargaining privilege in labor law, described as an “easy going, even issue of whether federal labor policy Congress puts countless thousands of tempered” middle-aged man, who should favor compulsory union workers out in the cold. intended to run for union office, quickly membership. Several examples were recently cited consented to a psychological evaluation That’s a debate Right to Work by United Autoworkers (UAW) union supporters are sure to win, no matter local official Gregg Shotwell. in order to be permitted to return to work. what the outcome of House or Senate Writing in the December 2000 issue of The psychiatrist found nothing wrong, floor votes. the unofficial union publication Labor but the man was still not allowed to But this window may not be open Notes, the independent-minded Mr. return to his job for another three months. much longer. Shotwell described how three Ford See Americans page 3 Union Bosses Rush to Rewrite Electoral History But Record Shows Big Labor-Appeasing Candidates Hurt Themselves As the actual results of Election 2000 Right to Work issue, 2000 nominee begin to recede in the collective memory George W. Bush openly pledged to “work of politicians Inside-the-Beltway, AFL- with Congress” to pass the Right to Work CIO czar John Sweeney is busily Bill. engaged in myth-making about what And in the 12 states with the highest happened. share of unionized workers the Bush- Of course, Mr. Sweeney and his Cheney ticket performed, on average, cohorts really do have plenty to brag seven percentage points better than the about. 1996 Dole-Kemp team and two points Wielding an estimated $800 million in better than Bush-Quayle in 1992. union treasury funds, which are derived At the same time, Bush-Cheney overwhelmingly from dues and “fees” carried 20 of the 21 states with Right to that workers are forced under federal and Work laws on the books, failing to win state law to pay as a job condition, they only Iowa, and falling short there by nearly installed union puppets as U.S. fewer than 5300 votes. Senate and House leaders and came within a few votes of electing Al Gore as Candidates Who Stick President. JEFF MITCHELL / REUTERS To Principle Often Defeat Derailed Cabinet pick Linda Chavez: But Mr. Sweeney is not content Massive Union Machine The rub with Big Labor politicking is merely to impress politicians and their it’s financed by forced dues. advisors with the extent of his forced The union machine is formidable, and dues-fed power. worth far more than Big Labor’s $83 fierce union-boss opposition, noted that He wants them to believe that it is million in reported contributions to federal the size of Big Labor’s war chest is not futile for any politician to challenge the candidates and parties in 1999 and 2000. really the issue. union hierarchy’s special privileges, As noted journalist Victor Riesel, a The problem, said Ms. Chavez, is that especially the federally-granted privilege personal friend of long-time AFL-CIO “[u]nion dues are not really voluntary. to get workers fired for refusal to pay chief George Meany, showed in a series “What should not happen is that union tribute. of syndicated columns in the 1970’s, [treasury funds], which are not voluntary, Mr. Sweeney’s propaganda is in no unreported union campaign expenditures be spent on political action and be spent way borne out by the 2000 election are worth up to 10 times as much as the secretly.” results, nor by the results of previous reported contributions. elections. That puts the total value of Big National Right to Work Labor’s hidden 1999-2000 federal slush Bill Is True Solution Not One Senator Who Had fund at roughly $800 million! Voted For Right to Work Unreported forced-dues contributions, While Ms. Chavez suggested that Bill Was Defeated in 2000 explained Mr. Riesel, include “staff time political abuse of forced dues could be — meaning union officials who are effectively addressed by regulatory While the Big Labor machine helped assigned to campaigns for months on end agencies, federal courts have already oust five incumbent GOP senators last [while remaining on the union payroll],” tried for 40 years to curb forced-dues year, not one of these senators had stood and also “printing costs, postage, politicking through case law, with very up to the union bosses by voting in favor telephone, and various other support limited success. of the National Right to Work Act when it services . . . .” “The true federal solution to the came to the Senate floor in July 1996. There’s no magic formula for a problem of forced union dues in politics Meanwhile, every one of the eight candidate who is opposed by this huge is repeal of the provisions in federal labor senators on the ballot (all Republicans) political machine to win an election. But law that empower union officials to who had voted for the Right to Work Bill, the record in 2000 and in previous collect forced dues,” said Mark Mix, which would repeal federally-authorized elections shows that taking a principled, senior vice president of the National forced union dues, won reelection. public stand in favor of Right to Work Right to Work Committee. The fact is, GOP senators got no definitely helps. “Passing forced-dues repeal quarter from Mr. Sweeney by seeking to legislation, even with President Bush’s appease him. But the senators who had Real Problem Is Simple: support, is going to be an uphill battle in voted for Right to Work could claim the Union Bosses’ War Chest the current Congress. moral high ground as the true defenders Comes From Forced Dues “But the mere act of bringing the of basic rights and freedom. Right to Work Bill up for floor votes, so The 2000 presidential election results In a recent speech at a Washington, that freedom-loving citizens can know demonstrate the same point. D.C., think tank, Linda Chavez, whose exactly who supports it, and who opposes Unlike the GOP presidential nominees nomination as Bush labor secretary was it, will be a big step toward solving the in 1992 and 1996, who ran away from the derailed in January largely because of problem.” National Right to Work Newsletter Ð April 2001 2 Americans Oppose Forced Unionism Continued from page 1 Later, he discovered that his UAW freedom to penalize union bosses “rep” had written a statement asserting financially for negligence or abuse of that he suffered from Post Traumatic office by resigning and withholding their Stress Disorder due to his experiences in dues. Vietnam. “Passage of the National Right to In reality, the man graduated from Work Act is a key step toward a new high school in June 1974, more than two labor-law system designed to protect months after U.S. military involvement in workers’ dignity, not union officials’ Vietnam had come to an end. institutional interests.” Forced Dues Promote Big Labor Why Miss Opportunity Indifference, Hostility Toward To Bring Up Politically Individual Employee’s Needs Potent Right to Work Issue?

Now that he is back on the job, the Most Americans don’t have any autoworker, who understandably wishes trouble seeing that federally-imposed to remain anonymous, is still being forced unionism is wrong. Mark Mix: Every new cosponsor denied access to most areas of the plant, Poll after poll has shown that reinforces the message that Right to according to Mr. Shotwell. registered voters nationwide agree, by at Work is a key issue. This case, the two other similarly least a three-to-one margin, that no one result was a net gain of five Right to outrageous cases cited by Mr. Shotwell, should be compelled to pay union dues to Work supporters in the Senate within less and many others demonstrate that get or keep a job. than a year. Congress has no business corralling And every time Congress has voted on “Votes on the Right to Work Bill in employees into unions “for their own a forced-unionism issue, going back more this Congress would likely prove even good.” than 35 years, the result has been a gain more effective at mobilizing freedom- “The individual worker is in a far in support for Right to Work after the loving citizens, because we now have a better position than Congress to assess next election cycle. President who is publicly committed to whether he or she would benefit from For example, in 1996 the Senate voted signing such legislation,” noted Mr. Mix. union representation,” noted Mark Mix, on the National Right to Work Act. “House Speaker Dennis Hastert [R-Ill.] senior vice president of the National Although the measure was defeated and Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott [R- Right to Work Committee. and Big Labor went on to spend an Miss.], who both lead heavily pro-Right “Furthermore, once workers are in a estimated half-a-billion dollars or more to Work legislative caucuses, would miss union, Congress should not restrict their trying to buy the 1996 elections, the end a valuable opportunity if they refused to bring up forced-dues repeal for votes.” Members Urged to Contact Their U.S. Representatives

Mr. Mix urged Right to Work supporters around the country to contact their congressmen and women urging them to cosponsor and seek roll-call votes on the National Right to Work Act. “Every new cosponsor will reinforce the message for Speaker Hastert and Majority Leader Lott that Right to Work is a key issue that they need to address in this session of Congress,” he said. “Whether or not their representatives have been Right to Work supporters in the past, Committee members should contact them this month and tell them that support for Mr. Goodlatte’s bill is a matter of common sense and fundamental fairness.”

WILLIAM JORDAN Right to Work supporters may reach The vast majority of Americans agree bosses financially for negligence or their representatives’ Capitol Hill offices that Congress should not restrict union abuse of office by resigning and through the Capitol switchboard, 202- members’ freedom to penalize union withholding their dues. 225-3121. National Right to Work Newsletter Ð April 2001 3 Union Officials’ ‘Power Grab’ Goes On By Reed Larson After playing a central, but largely protests on power projects as a means of construction costs due to the exclusion of unrecognized role in creating the ongoing securing union-only construction deals. competitive nonunion bids, Big Labor California energy crisis, building-trades Under these discriminatory “project featherbedding, and strikes called in union officials are now on the verge of labor agreements,” or PLA’s, nonunion violation of contract clauses. exploiting it to seize even more power firms must agree to force their employees Denied the ability to make a profit, in over the Golden State’s economy. to adhere to union work rules and fill recent years contractors have almost A radical measure (S.B.33) supported open positions through union hiring halls ceased building power plants in by Gov. Gray Davis that now appears in order to submit a bid on a contract. California. poised to pass the union boss-friendly PLA’s, of course, set the stage for Big Consequently, today California suffers state Senate would turn California’s Labor to force independent workers to from a massive power supply deficit that privately-owned power grid and some pay union dues as a job condition. can result either in major price hikes — 32,000 miles of power lines into state possibly imposed both on power government property. ‘Environmental Protests’ customers and taxpayers — or As critics charge, this hare-brained Are Dropped in Exchange government rationing. scheme would do nothing to solve the For Union-Only Hiring Pacts While economists of various political crisis. It wouldn’t add to the power stripes agree that any short-term solution supply or reduce demand. The group California Unions for to the California crisis will involve But S.B.33 would make building- Responsible Energy (CURE) — formed allowing the price of energy to reflect its trades union officials happy since, in in 1997 for the purpose of filing actual cost, most Californians know they California, taxpayer-funded construction environmental protests — now bluntly also need to increase the supply. is virtually always Big Labor-controlled. tells project owners it will withdraw them For this purpose, the California S.B.33 would reward some of the very in exchange for the “socioeconomic Legislature obviously needs to overturn the people who helped produce the crisis. impact mitigation” of a PLA. irrational four-year-old bureaucratic ruling More than a decade ago, San Mateo You might suppose it would be illegal that entitles union officials to halt plant union lawyer Thomas Adams and for union officers to abuse environmental construction through blackmail disguised plumbers and pipefitters’ union officer law in this way for extortionate purposes. as an “environmental complaint.” Thomas Hunter developed a novel strategy But union-influenced government To state the obvious, if an to force California power producers to bureaucrats disagree. The state Energy environmental complaint has merit, it discriminate against nonunion contractors Commission rejected a challenge to should be resolved. If not, it should be and their employees. CURE’s extortion in 1997. tossed out. As San Francisco labor attorney Mark Since then, it’s been all but impossible But no public interest is served when Thierman reported in the January 29 to get permission to construct or upgrade a Big Labor gets an environmental Engineering News-Record (for the entire power plant in California without a PLA. complaint, worthy or unworthy, column, see www.enr.com), Mr. Adams According to Mr. Thierman, this has dismissed because a contractor has and Mr. Hunter began to file environmental led to an average 20% hike in acquiesced to discrimination against employees on the basis of union status. Unfortunately, instead of moving to change this flagrantly absurd state policy, the union-label politicians who run the Legislature are now seeking to ram through S.B.33, Gov. Davis’s state takeover of the power industry. That would further increase building- trades union officials’ power to corral workers into unions while burdening taxpayers with a new, multi-billion- dollar, money-losing “investment.” I urge freedom-loving Californians to contact their state senators at 916-445- 4311 to urge them to oppose S.B.33 on all votes. And also urge your senators to support legislation that bars the dismissal of environmental complaints as a quid pro

NEWSMAKERS quo for discriminating against nonunion Assisted by California bureaucrats, related construction. Then Big Labor employees. union officials used extortion to secure featherbedding sent costs so high that This op-ed was distributed to nearly near-monopoly control over energy- such construction virtually ceased. 380 California newspapers March 22. National Right to Work Newsletter Ð April 2001 4 Union Bosses Lead Charge Against Bush Tax Cut But New Poll Shows Most Union Members Support President’s Plan Ignoring the results of a new national survey by respected independent pollster John Zogby that shows a solid majority of union members support George W. Bush’s proposed tax cut, AFL-CIO czar John Sweeney is mobilizing his compulsory dues-financed political army to defeat the President’s tax-relief measure. Last month Mr. Zogby, whose breathtakingly accurate calls on the 1996 and 2000 presidential races have been widely hailed, released the results of a nationwide poll on the Bush tax-cut plan, which included a cross-tabulation of union members. Union members (including both voluntary members and many others corralled into an unwanted union) support the President’s proposal by a hefty 55% to 34% majority, with the rest unsure. Boss Sweeney: ‘We Will Not GARY VARVEL / INDIANAPOLIS STAR VARVEL GARY . . . Allow the Bush Heeding Big Labor orders, politicians and House Minority Leader Dick Tax Cut to Become Law’ like Sen. Ted Kennedy (Mass.), Senate Gephardt (Mo.) are opposing President Minority Leader Tom Daschle (S.D.), Bush’s tax-relief plan. That’s right in line with the overall 57% to 33% nationwide support for the offers more than token, temporary relief why America needs more state Right to Bush tax cut found by Mr. Zogby. for federal income taxpayers. Work laws and a national Right to Work It’s not so surprising that most The AFL-CIO hierarchy’s pro-tax law, which would repeal the federal unionized workers would favor this rallies, petition drives, and tendentious labor-law provisions that authorize Big income-tax plan. “studies,” churned out by an Inside-the- Labor to get workers fired for refusal to If it is passed as proposed and fully Beltway union front group that is pay union tribute.” implemented, then a two-income family, misnamed “Citizens for Tax Justice,” are union or nonunion, earning a total of all financed by workers’ forced dues. National Right to Work $60,000 a year, with two dependent Under federal and state law, an Bill Was Reintroduced children and $12,000 in itemized estimated 12 million workers are forced In U.S. House Last Month deductions, will see its tax bill go down to pay an average of $600 annual tribute from $4520 to $2545. as a job condition to the union officials As this month’s Newsletter cover story Nonetheless, Mr. Sweeney is whom government bureaucrats have reports, a forced-dues repeal measure, unabashedly digging deep into union certified as their “exclusive” union known as the National Right to Work Act, treasury funds filled with unionized representatives. was reintroduced in the U.S. House as workers’ forced dues and “fees” to While union bosses cannot legally H.R.1109 last month, and will be bankroll a full-scaled campaign against a give this money directly to their pet reintroduced in the Senate soon. plan that is strongly favored by those federal candidates, they can and do Mr. Tate urged Right to Work members workers. funnel a huge share of it into everywhere to contact their representatives “We cannot — and together we will electioneering efforts such as partisan and senators in support of this bill by not — allow the Bush tax cut to become phone banks and into lobbying for Big using the congressional switchboard, 202- law,” snarled Mr. Sweeney in a March 1 Labor’s pet causes. 224-3121 or 202-225-3121. speech. “It’s outrageous that John Sweeney “American workers and their families and his cohorts are using workers’ forced should be able to decide for themselves Workers’ Forced Dues Pay dues and ‘fees’ to defeat a tax cut that the whether they want to take action in For Pro-Tax Rallies, majority of the workers support,” said support of the Bush tax cut, oppose it, or Tendentious ‘Studies’ John Tate, vice president of the National stay on the sidelines. Right to Work Committee. “Congress shouldn’t empower John Mr. Sweeney later vowed to deploy “And right now there appears to be a Sweeney or anyone else to decide for his political machine “for the defeat of strong possibility that Mr. Sweeney will them which side they’re on. senators who fail to do the right thing,” succeed in killing meaningful tax relief. “It’s time to pass a national Right to that is, vote to kill any budget plan that “This is another powerful example of Work law.” National Right to Work Newsletter Ð April 2001 5 Forced Dues Bankroll Union Political Army Thousands of Union ‘Organizers’ Electioneered Full Time in 2000 A key provision in the so-called campaign-finance “reform” measure (S.27) that a team of Big Labor politicians and others who seem to be simply misguided are trying to ram through the U.S. Senate this spring would bar reported, voluntary “soft” money contributions to political party committees. As many Newsletter readers know, under current federal law, “soft” money can finance phone banks, get-out-the-vote drives, and mailings designed to help a political party’s candidates, but cannot be channeled into a particular candidate’s coffers. Union-label Sen. Russ Feingold (D- Wis.) and usually pro-Right to Work Sen. According to Dr. Leo Troy’s (left, with 1999Ð2000 candidates was at least 75% John McCain (R-Ariz.), S.27’s lead Reed Larson) formula, the value of greater than reported “soft” sponsors, would stamp out this form of unreported forced-dues support for contributions to either major party! voluntary contribution. several months in 2000 to focus solely on their forced dues for any kind of politics But Mr. Feingold and Mr. McCain don’t electing and reelecting their puppet or lobbying. appear to have anything against phone politicians. Since a recent poll indicated 60% of banks and get-out-the-vote drives per se. As veteran labor reporter Steven union-“represented” workers don’t want Not, that is, as long as they are Greenhouse summarized their admission, any of their dues spent on politicking, the bankrolled by compulsory union dues and “[U]nions organized fewer members last potential universe of objectors among the so-called “agency fees” that union year because they threw so much money, eight million private-sector forced-dues nonmembers are forced under federal and energy and manpower into electoral payers alone is nearly five million. state law to pay in order to keep their jobs. However, scofflaw union bosses have S.27 is not designed to stop Big Labor politics.” Any observer who considers just the successfully used cover-ups, stalls and from commandeering workers’ forced threatened firings to suppress Beck tribute for electioneering activities. forced dues-funded salaries of union staff while they are on political assignments objections. In fact, Section 304 of the bill would As a result, the number of workers actually eviscerate the very limited power can see that the total value of Big Labor’s federal slush fund each election year is at who are actively exercising their Beck objecting workers now enjoy under U.S. rights is in the thousands, not millions. Supreme Court precedents to stop union least several hundred million dollars. In fact, Rutgers University economist And a well-intentioned February officials’ misuse of their forced dues for executive order by President Bush that is politics. Leo Troy, the leading academic authority on U.S. labor unions, estimates that union now being implemented to promote bosses’ forced-dues “in-kind” spending awareness of the Beck decision can’t be Union Bosses Tacitly Admit expected to lead to any dramatic change, Politics Consume Much on federal campaigns is three to five times higher than reported union PAC since knowing your Beck rights usually Of Their Paid Staff Time expenditures. isn’t sufficient to exercise them. For 1999Ð2000, that would put the “As long as federal law continues to When confronted about their bill’s value of Big Labor’s estimated “in-kind” grant Big Labor the raw power to seize favoritism toward forced due-funded tribute from workers, union bosses will contributions at least 75% higher than the electioneering activities, S.27 proponents hold the advantage in legal disputes over reported, voluntary “soft” money often try to minimize such activities’ cash how forced dues are spent,” noted contributions received by the GOP or the value. National Right to Work Committee Democrats. But a host of recent public statements President Reed Larson. by union officials themselves confirm “And that’s why any true campaign- that a large share of paid union staff time, Forced-Dues Repeal finance reform package would have to whose total value for private-sector Necessary For Genuine begin with the National Right to Work unions alone exceeds $2.4 billion a year, Campaign-Finance Reform Act, which would abolish the forced-dues is devoted to partisan politicking and provisions in federal labor law. lobbying. Under Beck and related Supreme “Meanwhile, Right to Work supporters In January, for example, several AFL- Court rulings won by National Right to must fight to defeat phony ‘reforms’ like CIO officers told The New York Times, in Work Legal Defense Foundation S.27 that would rig federal election law effect, that thousands of union organizers attorneys, workers who object currently even further in union-label politicians’ ceased their organizing activities for have the legal right to stop the misuse of favor.” National Right to Work Newsletter Ð April 2001 6 UAW Czars Fail to Quash Workers’ Lawsuit $550 Million Case Based on Allegations of Rampant Corruption Last month a federal judge in Detroit Pontiac lost $10,000 to $20,000 apiece in rejected a joint bid by United pay while the strike was prolonged. Autoworkers union and General Motors According to Pontiac workers who corporate lawyers to squelch a $550 have been interviewed by federal agents, million civil class-action suit filed by 142 the lawsuit’s allegations represent just the employees against international and local “tip of the iceberg” in a large-scale UAW bosses and GM. investigation of the UAW hierarchy. The suit alleges that a 1997 strike Kalamazoo, Mich., resident Pat against GM plants in Pontiac, Mich., was Meyer, the widow of one UAW- prolonged because union bosses “represented” worker and the mother of demanded bogus “overtime” pay for two others and a spokeswoman for the themselves and jobs for relatives as a plaintiffs, has said that workers condition for ending the strike. nationwide are sharing information to It further claims that the Pontiac truck assist the federal probe. plants’ nearly 6000 employees lost a total “The inspector general told me they of $50 million in pay while being kept want [UAW international President] out on strike to secure UAW bosses’ Stephen Yokich and his lieutenants,” Ms. illegal strike demands. Meyer told the Detroit Free Press. The employees are suing GM for a Indeed, one of the apparently portion of the $50 million in DETROIT NEWS unqualified UAW-boss relatives who was compensatory damages because, they UAW czar Stephen Yokich is refusing hired immediately after the Pontiac strike argue, the company had an obligation to to discuss ongoing federal inves- was settled was Jason Beardsley, son of inform employees in some way about tigations of UAW corruption. James Beardsley, Mr. Yokich’s UAW misconduct, but failed to do so. “In effect, the GM and union lawyers administrative assistant. The suit also seeks $500 million in are seconding the late U.S. Sen. John Another apparently unqualified hire punitive damages from UAW bosses. McClellan’s [D-Ark.] dictum that was David Shoemaker, son of The charges in this case constitute international UAW Vice President only one field of inquiry in ongoing ‘Compulsory unionism and corruption go hand in hand.’” Richard Shoemaker. investigations by the FBI and the U.S. David Shoemaker needed to work at a Labor Department of UAW corruption Charges in Lawsuit truck plant for a year to qualify for his and nepotism in the Detroit area. current $75,000-a-year UAW job. Significantly, GM lawyers have cited May Represent Only union officials’ “exclusive” (monopoly) ‘Tip of the Iceberg’ Federal Labor Law Serves privilege under federal labor law to As ‘Silent Partner’ bargain employee contracts as sufficient The suit, for which plaintiffs’ attorney grounds for tossing out the case, even if Harold Dunne is now seeking class- Of Corrupt Union Bosses all the allegations are true. action status, specifically charges that a “GM is arguing, with UAW lawyers’ “bargaining” team of UAW bosses Federal labor law serves as corrupt consent, that pro-forced unionism labor law divvied up roughly $200,000 in phony union officials’ “silent partner” by gives union bosses immunity from being overtime payments to which GM handing them monopoly power to sued for enriching themselves at workers’ ultimately acquiesced in order to end the negotiate workers’ contracts and to force expense,” said John Tate, vice president of 1997 truck-plant strike. workers, if they are not protected by a the National Right to Work Committee. Meanwhile, rank-and-file workers in state Right to Work law, to pay union dues as a job condition. Because of federally-imposed forced NATIONAL RIGHT TO WORK NEWSLETTER unionism, dissenting workers can be fully April 2001 aware that crooked union officials are Written and Distributed by: ripping them off, but powerless to get out from under the union monopoly or even National Right To Work Committee Contact the Membership Department by dialing 8001 Braddock Road 1-800-325-RTWC (7892) or (703) 321-9820 if you to withhold their dues money. Springfield, Va. 22160 wish to: “This year Congress must side with Fax: (703) 321-7143 • Report address changes or corrections the union-‘represented’ workers who are E-mail: [email protected] • Receive the NEWSLETTER or request, renew, victimized and prevented from fighting www.nrtwc.org or cancel Committee membership back by voting on the National Right to Reed Larson ...... President • Obtain more information Work Act, which would repeal federally- Mark Mix...... Senior Vice President Because of NRTWC’s tax-exempt status under IRC Sec. 501 imposed forced dues,” said Mr. Tate. Stephen Goodrick...... Vice President (C)(4) and its state and federal legislative activities, He urged congressional leaders to act John Tate ...... Vice President contributions are not tax deductible as charitable contributions (IRC § 170) or as business deductions (IRC § 162(e)(1)). promptly on this bill, starting in the Matthew Leen ...... Vice President © 2001 by the National Right to Work Committee. Permission House, where it was reintroduced March Stanley Greer ...... Newsletter Editor to reprint individual articles granted. Credit requested. 20 by Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.).

7 Tax Dollars Slated For Tarnished Teamster Brass GOP Governor Rewards Union Cronies While Feds Investigate Them Top Teamsters Local 25 officials in force producers to contract with Location Boston face an ongoing criminal Connection, a Boston company that investigation into charges that they have provides movie-set trailers and other used extortion to obtain plum movie- vehicles. crew jobs for thuggish union cronies, This firm is allegedly controlled by including seven convicted bank robbers, James P. Flynn, Local 25’s all implicated in a murderous armored car “transportation coordinator.” heist. It is alleged that this past summer Mr. Meanwhile, Massachusetts Gov. Paul Flynn ordered the murder of truck driver Cellucci (R) has earmarked $125,000 in Susan Christy of Foxboro, Mass., who taxpayer-funded “worker development” was working on the set of an MGM grants for these same Teamster bosses in movie, because she refused to give up her his Fiscal 2001 budget plan! snack-truck concession to a Flynn crony. Mr. Cellucci’s coziness with union Local 25 President George Cashman, a chiefs who are being probed by the feds Cellucci crony whom the governor has is raising hackles among his constituents. rewarded with a seat on the powerful The Teamsters Local 25 scandal also Massport Board of Directors, was also raises larger questions about how a allegedly involved in this incident. gaping loophole in federal anti-extortion Mr. Cashman reportedly learned about law threatens the safety and property not the plan and nixed the murder out of just of Boston movie-industry employees, concern regarding the ongoing JACKSON AP / LAWRENCE but of communities across the country. investigation. Gov. Cellucci has earmarked $125,000 Instead, Mr. Cashman reportedly in taxpayers’ money for Teamster Boston Teamster Bosses agreed to have a Teamster thug “send bosses while the FBI probes them. Connected to a Multitude Christy a message.” law in this way: “There are a lot of Of Scandal Allegations For daring to defy a Teamster boss, threats in this world that there are [sic] Ms. Christy allegedly was “dragged absolutely nothing wrong with.” Due to space limitations, only a small around by her hair, thrown against her Next month, U.S. Sen. Strom fraction of the numerous reports of truck, and slapped upside the head.” Thurmond (R-S.C.) will introduce violence and extortion at Teamsters Local legislation that would close the union 25 can be summarized in this month’s Are Politically-Connected violence loophole and allow federal Newsletter. Union Bosses Above the Law? prosecution of union-boss extortion, no Local 25 bosses reportedly used matter what its purported motives. threats of work delays and cost overruns Federal anti-racketeering laws are This measure, known as the Freedom to force the producers of many 1990’s designed to handle situations when state from Union Violence Act, would hold films shot in Massachusetts to hire as and local authorities look the other way union officials who orchestrate beatings, “drivers” seven convicted bank robbers, while evidence mounts of systematic shootings and bombings accountable to all implicated in the 1994 slaying of two extortion and violence. the same legal standards as other armored car guards. However, due to a loophole in the law Americans who commit such crimes. Local 25 bosses reportedly also used as presently interpreted, union officials In early May, the National Right to similar threats to force producers of the such as George Cashman and Jimmy Work Committee will launch a 1994 movie Blown Away to rent Mob Flynn are exempt from federal nationwide lobbying campaign to build boss Steve “The Rifleman” Flemmi’s prosecution for orchestrating violence Senate and House support for this bill. condo to house their electricians and that advances so-called “legitimate union Committee President Reed Larson carpenters. objectives.” urges members who are contacted to be And the FBI is investigating charges Flynn lawyer Richard Egbert gleefully generous in volunteering their time and, that Local 25 bosses used extortion to summarizes current federal anti-extortion if possible, their financial support for this important effort. Afterword: At press time, the Bush Administration’s recent nomination of For daring to defy a Teamster boss, Gov. Cellucci as ambassador to Canada is pending in the U.S. Senate. Ms. Christy allegedly was ‘dragged While bestowing such an honor on an ethically-challenged Big Labor around by her hair, thrown against her politician is a somewhat disturbing move by the White House, it may be truck, and slapped upside the head.’ good news for the people of Massachusetts. National Right to Work Newsletter Ð April 2001 8