Posts tagged closed shop
‘Right to work’ unlikely to change much in Va. this year, union and business leaders agree
January 20, 2026 // Speaking at a Jan. 14 forum sponsored by Advance Arlington, Slaiman said a contentious fight over Virginia’s unionization framework would get in the way of more pressing priorities in a year when Democrats have control of the governorship and both houses of the General Assembly. “We’re not going to disrupt this [legislative] session. We’ve got too much of an agenda,” said Slaiman, whose union local represents 15,000 workers. Addressing right-to-work’s future “will come later,” he said.
Watson Commentary: Making the AFL-CIO great again: labor policy in 2026
January 20, 2026 // The biggest labor issue of all might be the changing composition of what remains of the union movement. Goodbye, manual-labor men; hello purple-haired they/them grad students.
Steelworkers Union hit with unfair labor practice charges by Viking Corporation employee
December 22, 2025 // Kristen Dickinson, who works for the fire-sprinkler manufacturer, submitted the charges to the National Labor Relations Board with free legal assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys. The filings allege union officials told workers Viking was operating as a “closed shop,” meaning employees could be fired if they refused formal union membership. Closed shops have been illegal nationwide since the U.S. Supreme Court’s General Motors v. NLRB ruling in 1963.
Viking Corporation Employee Slams Steelworkers Union With Federal Charges for “Closed Shop” Firing Threats
December 4, 2025 // When Dickinson emailed a Viking HR representative for clarification on her obligations, the HR rep claimed that “Per the new Michigan [Right to Work repeal] law and the Contract…those employees who do not sign the check-off authorization card, will not be allowed to work at Viking.” Dickinson’s charges include a charge against Viking management for repeating the misrepresentations of union officials. Dickinson’s charges also maintain that Steelworkers union bosses “violated the NLRA because [they] demanded that Charging Party, and all similarly situated nonmember discriminatees, opt-out of paying for political and ideological activities, instead of opting-in to make such political and ideological payments.” Supreme Court precedent, including the Foundation-won Knox v. SEIU case, establish the principle that union officials cannot assume that workers have waived their right to abstain from funding union politics.
Pratt & Whitney Employee Slams IAM Union With Federal Charges For Imposing Illegal Post-Strike Discipline
October 6, 2025 // Union officials insulted worker for wanting to resign membership and keep working, incorrectly told workers P&W was “closed shop”
Kaiser Permanente Hospital Employee Slams SEIU with Federal Charge for Illegal Dues Demands and Termination Threats
October 23, 2024 // Charge: SEIU officials illegally threatened to have worker fired if she didn’t sign union membership card and authorize dues deductions
Harrisburg pizza shop shuts down; employees had filed to unionize
August 25, 2022 // Knead Pizza announced on social media sites its decision to shut both its original location in the Broad Street Market and Knead Slice Shop at the corner of N. 3rd and Boas streets. In addition, Knead, which was founded in 2016, was in the process of opening a third location on Cameron Street in Harrisburg.
N.C.’s Right to Work law turns 75, experts weigh in on workers’ rights
March 16, 2022 // The Right to Work law, approved in 1947, outlawed requiring union membership as a condition of hiring or of continued employment. It bans the idea of a “closed shop,” in which union membership is a necessary part of getting and keeping a job. The law also bans a “union shop.” In that scenario, an employer can hire nonunion workers, as long as those workers join the union within a certain period. The law also prohibits the mandatory collection of union dues by employers through payroll deductions.