IKEA Workers Win Union Dispute

Four people employed by the IKEA distribution center in Perryville received a settlement recently after claiming they were not told they could refrain from joining from the plant's labor union, CecilDaily.com reported.

More than 350 people who work at the distribution center on Firestone Road fought to join the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers union in January 2012 so they could have a say in scheduling and hierarchy, according to The Huffington Post.

However, many employees were not aware they could opt out of the union and were threatened with termination if they did not pay dues, the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation said in a prepared statement about the case.

The foundation, which represented the workers in the suit, said that union officials misled employees by not informing them of their rights, explaining the ability to opt out "on the back of a pink piece of paper in tan ink, making it virtually invisible."

A union spokesman attributed the issue to the union's newness and its leaders being unclear about people's rights, according to CecilDaily.com.

As a result of the settlement, which came July 24, employees who chose to leave the union were refunded $90.93 to $117.97, settlement papers show.

According to IKEA, 550 people work at the Perryville distribution center, which supplies inventory for the company's furniture retail stores.