Settlement Reached in Ex-Union Workers’ Complaint

(Akron/Tire Review) Avoiding a formal hearing before the National Labor Relations Board, USW Local 2 (Akron) reached a settlement in the complaint made by former union members who claimed they were fined and harassed after crossing picket lines during the 86-day USW strike against Goodyear.

The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation, which represented the three former union workers, said the settlement was reached last week.

The former union members claimed they were fined $620 each and subjected to harassment at their homes and on the job. USW Local 2 claimed it had the right to fine the members for quitting the union during a strike, but denied the harassment claims.

The settlement calls for Local 2 to post a document in the Akron Goodyear plant telling union members to refrain from ”threatening bargaining unit employees with internal union fines and termination,” and to not attempt to intimidate employees at their homes or otherwise attempt to coerce them. The union will also drop all internal charges against the three workers and expunge their union records.

While the settlement states that the agreement ”does not constitute an admission that the Charged Party violated the National Relations Act,” it does allow the three workers to pursue civil action against the union.