Plaintiff reports that union reps locked doors and refused to let workers leave until signing membership cards
Sacramento, CA — The Freedom Foundation has filed three major class action lawsuits in California, targeting deceptive and unlawful practices by three of the state’s largest public sector unions — United Domestic Workers of America (UDW), SEIU 2015, and AFSCME 3299. The suits, filed under California’s Unfair Competition Law, allege systematic fraud and misrepresentation that have left workers misled, exploited, and financially burdened.
“These lawsuits are about restoring the rights of workers whose wages the unions unlawfully took and who were lied to and manipulated by the very unions that claim to represent their best interests,” said Ravi Prasad, Litigation Counsel for the Freedom Foundation. “This isn’t just unethical — it’s illegal.”
“These cases expose a broader pattern of exploitation and coercion happening across California,” added Shella Alcabes, Litigation Counsel for the Freedom Foundation. “Unions have been allowed to operate with little oversight for too long — and now, workers are taking a stand.”
SEIU 2015 and UDW — False Promises and Ongoing Deductions
Two separate complaints have been filed as class actions against SEIU 2015 and UDW, with the SEIU 2015 case representing a dozen In-Home Supportive Services (IHSS) workers and the UDW case representing five IHSS workers. The lawsuits allege that during employee orientation, union representatives coerced IHSS workers into union membership — threatening them that if they didn’t sign up for membership, they would lose out on benefits — a patently false claim. Despite workers’ repeated objections to dues deductions, SEIU 2015 and UDW continued to withdraw funds from their paychecks every month and ignored the workers’ many pleas.
The workers have come forward with troubling allegations against SEIU 2015 and UDW. One plaintiff reports that SEIU 2015 locked the door and refused to let workers leave until they signed union membership cards — an act that raises serious concerns about coercion and violations of workers’ rights. In the complaint against UDW, another worker wrote “do not want to participate” on the signature line of the membership card, yet the union still deducted dues from her paycheck without consent. These accounts raise serious concerns about coercive tactics and unauthorized deductions being used to force union participation.
AFSCME 3299 — Forged Signatures and Ignored Opt-Outs
A third complaint targets AFSCME 3299 and was filed on behalf of two employees at UC Davis Health and other similarly situated individuals. This case includes particularly troubling allegations of forgery and repeated violations of workers’ express wishes. One worker discovered the union forged his signature on a dues authorization form. Another plaintiff has attempted to opt out of union membership and dues collection multiple times — only to see their wages continue to be docked without consent.
The Freedom Foundation, a national nonprofit dedicated to protecting worker rights and promoting government accountability, is leading the charge to restore transparency and choice for public employees. For more information or to schedule an interview with a representative of the Freedom Foundation, contact: abrown@freedomfoundation.com.
