Business & Tech

Ford Motor Company Security Guards File Lawsuit, Allege Employment Violations

The guards claim that they were passed up for promotions and bonuses as a penalty for refusing to join a local labor union.

DEARBORN — A security company and a Dearborn-based workers union are facing federal prosecution for what employees claim is tantamount to workers' rights abuses.

The prosecution comes in the wake of a series of charges filed with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by three security guards, who allege that their employer, AlliedBarton Security Services, entered into a monopoly bargaining agreement with the United Protective Workers of America (UPWA) Local 1 union hierarchy shortly before Michigan's new Right to Work law took effect.

According to a press release from the National Right to Work Foundation, the guards allege that AlliedBarton employees working at Ford Motor Company facilities in Dearborn are required to join the UPWA union and pay full union dues as a condition of employment. The agreement also requires the security guards to sign up for full union dues payments in order to receive signing bonuses.

The guards claim that company officials promoted union members, and union members received signing bonuses, but nonmembers were denied job promotions and signing bonuses on account of their union membership status.

Under federal law, workers who do not have Right to Work protections can still refrain from paying for union dues used for union politics and are entitled to an audited breakdown of union expenditures to make it less difficult to discern how their union dues and fees are spent.

According to the NRTW, when the security guards circulated a petition to remove the union from their workplace, union members spied on and threatened workers who supported the effort.

"This case underscores just how important Michigan's new Right to Work law is for Michigan's workers," said Mark Mix, president of National Right to Work. "No worker should ever be forced to pay union dues or fees to a union as a condition of their employment."

In response to National Right to Work's allegations, AlliedBarton sent a prepared statement to Patch.com.

"Any union disputes regarding our employees in Michigan are between those individuals and the United Protective Workers of America. Additionally, AlliedBarton Security Services is not facing federal prosecution as reported by the National Right to Work Foundation. That is an inaccurate representation of this situation. AlliedBarton has not received notification of any related lawsuits."

Come back to Patch for updates on this story as more details are made available. 


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