Labor Board Prosecutes Teamsters For Threatening Long Beach Employee

LONG BEACH, CA — The National Labor Relations Board issued a complaint against transportation company Savage Services for alleged illegal threats made to a Long Beach employee.

According to the complaint, Teamsters officials violated a 1962 Labor Board decision. The decision requires officials to inform workers to inform workers of exactly what obligations they must fulfill to satisfy the requirements of a forced unionism clause in a union contract.

Savage Services employee Nelson Medina said Teamsters officials threatened to send a letter of removal to Medina's employer if he didn't pay outstanding fees, without providing the required legal protections. Medina said Teamsters also threatened to fine him for the same reason.

“Teamsters Local 848 union chiefs are continuing their dismal track record of complying with employees’ legal rights,” said National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix. “Their repeated threats and illegal dues practices show pretty clearly that they value power and dues revenue beyond the well-being of Savage Services employees, who have now attempted twice to throw the union out."

According to the National Right To Work Foundation, this isn't the first time Teamsters Local 848 has been subject to prosecution at Savage Services. In February, employees issued a complaint alleging Teamsters agents threatened them with violence for not supporting the union.

Savage Services employees said they have also been subjected to illegal dues practices. In 2022, Teamsters was forced to pay back a settlement of thousands of dollars in illegal dues collected from about 60 workers that was used to fund the union's political activity, the complaint said.

“It’s good that the union is being prosecuted for violating employees’ rights
under federal law. Ultimately, Right to Work protections would solve such conflicts
about whether or not union officials have complied with their obligations to justify forced union dues by ensuring every worker’s individual right to decide for themselves whether or not to voluntarily fund union activities,” Mix said.