Federal labor regulators sanctioned an Ohio labor union for violating the rights of workers at CVS.
A National Labor Relations Board regional office ruled that the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1059 violated federal labor protections when officials threatened non-dues-paying workers at the national drug store.
The union became the exclusive bargaining agent at the Bexley, Ohio store after it won a card check campaign. Several workers filed complaints after being told by union officials that they were required to pay dues as a condition of employment. The workers were not informed of their Beck rights, which allow them to pay partial dues, known as agency fees, to cover negotiating and representation costs but not political or lobbying costs.
The union reached a settlement with the NLRB, the federal government’s top union arbiter, to post signs at its headquarters informing workers that they do not have to pay full dues as a condition of employment. The terms of the settlement allow the union to post notice without conceding that it violated labor law.
"The charged party does not admit that it has violated the National Labor Relations Act," the settlement says.
Randy Quickel, the president of UFCW Local 1059, did not return a request for comment.
The union had more than 18,000 workers in the grocery and retail industry in 2015—up nearly 4 percent from 2014, according to its most recent federal labor disclosures. It collected about $9.5 million in dues and fees last year and spent more than $1 million on overhead as well as nearly $140,000 on politics and lobbying.
The CVS workers received legal assistance from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Foundation president Mark Mix said that UFCW’s "bullying tactics" are typical in states that allow businesses to maintain union-only workplaces.
"These workers were fortunate to have the Foundation’s assistance to make the UFCW back down from their militant bullying tactics," Mix said. "The best way to end the union bosses’ pattern of rights abuses is for Ohio to enact a Right to Work law making union membership and dues payment strictly voluntary."
The union has two weeks to post bulletins notifying all CVS workers of their right to opt out of full dues payments unless it appeals the regional office’s decision.