Lewis and Clark Food Service Workers Win Appeal in Case Against Union Bosses, Alleging They Were Not Informed of Reduced Union Fee Option

The regional NLRB will now be required to move forward with the Lewis & Clark foodservice workers' charges again.

Two Lewis and Clark College food service workers won an appeal in their case with the National Labor Relations Board in Washington D.C., alleging that Unite Here Local 8 union bosses failed to inform them of the reduced union fees they could pay by declining formal union membership.

Employees Terry Denton and Alejandro Martinez Cuevas filed a complaint against Unite Here in August with the help of the anti-union group National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. According to a release from the group, Denton and Martinez Cuevas claim that they were prevented from making an informed decision about the costs and benefits of union membership.

Related: Anti-Union Groups File Federal Lawsuit Seeking Millions in Dues Collected from Dissident Oregon Members

In response to Denton's and Martinez Cuevas' charges, the regional NLRB office in August issued a formal complaint against Unite Here officials. The approved settlement between the union and the NLRB required the union to post notices announcing it would inform all future employees of their right to refrain from formal union membership and paying fees for activities unrelated to bargaining.

Attorneys rejected the union's settlement and appealed to the NLRB General Counsel in Washington D.C. The General Counsel sustained the appeal on Nov. 7, on the grounds that the original settlement did "not provide an appropriate remedy," because it didn't notify current employees of their rights.

The regional NLRB will now be required to move forward with Denton's and Martinez Cuevas' charges again.

A representative for Unite Here did not immediately respond to WW's request for comment.

Elise Herron

Elise Herron grew up in Sisters, Oregon and joined Willamette Week as web editor in 2018.

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