Decertificatoin of Forced Dues Paying Employees Delayed by Bogus Election Lists

Minnesota Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton received thousands of signatures from union members seeking to end one of the largest bargaining units in history. The Service Employees International Union (SEIU) formed the bargaining unit in 2014 after claiming to have organized 27,000 people who are registered as Personal Care Assistants.

The PCAs were not traditional employees, so the decertification campaign had to collect signatures across the whole state. Many PCAs were just people who worked in homes to help people collecting Medicaid.

The decertification campaign originally canvassed the state to show enough PCAs wanted to hold a decertification vote. The membership list that the state provided was completely inaccurate. The addresses listed led to empty lots and homes with residents that did not match the name provided.

The campaign petitioned the state to investigate whether the original union election was fraudulent. But, the state did little to help, which raised suspicions it was trying to help the union.

Campaign attorney Doug Seaton went to court to demand the state provide an accurate membership list. The union and state stonewalled but eventually were forced to abide. The second list was inaccurate too. Ultimately, the decertification campaign had three lists that were completely different from one another. The union members continue to try to collect signature to decertify a union they never wanted to join in the first place.

Matt Austin owns Austin Legal, LLC, a boutique law firm based in Ohio that limits its representation to employers dealing with labor, employment, and OSHA matters. You can reach Matt by calling him at (614) 843-3041 or emailing him at Matt@MattAustinLaborLaw.com.