(The Center Square) – A northern Ohio veterans home employee who says he was forced to join a union has filed an unfair labor practice case against the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association.
Ryan Smith, a Marine veteran himself, said he had to sign and turn in a union membership agreement in April, his first day on the job at the Ohio Veterans Home in Sandusky.
He asked for it back but was told no, Smith said, leading to the charges filed with the help of The Buckeye Institute.
“Few would contest that workers are both legally and morally entitled to make a free, uncoerced, and informed choice as to whether to join a union,” said David C. Tryon, director of litigation at The Buckeye Institute. “But coercion is just what the union employed when it had Mr. Smith sign and turn in a union membership agreement before providing any information about the union, and then refused to return the agreement at the end of the orientation.”
Smith asked for the application back after AFSCME/OCSEA Chapter President Tim Federkiel made political statements during a presentation. Smith also said he told Federkiel he didn’t want to join the union.
According to the filing, Federkiel aggressively told Smith no, and it was too late to get it back because he had the paperwork.
The filing follows a demand letter sent May 15 by The Buckeye Institute that received no response from state union leaders. That letter also asked leadership to investigate Federkiel’s actions during orientation.
The letter also demanded OSCEA rescind an agreement between Smith and the union, including a membership application and dues deductions.
