SAG-AFTRA union ousted from Texas Public Radio

Texas Public Radio (TPR) employees are the latest to oust the union from their workplace in Texas and the latest to decertify the Screen Actors Guild – American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) from their workplace.They did so with the assistance of the National Right to Work Foundation, which provides free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism.
Texas is a right to work state, which prohibits unions from enforcing contracts that require employees to pay union dues or fees as a condition of employment. Despite this, under federal law in right to work and non-right to work states, union officials are allowed to impose “representation” on workers in a work unit, regardless if they want to be represented by the union.
After a landmark 2019 National Labor Relations Board decision in a case won by the NRWF, workers who want to remove union officials from their place of employment can do so by submitting a majority-backed petition asking their employer to stop recognizing the union. The NLRB enforces federal labor law in the private sector and administers votes to install or remove unions from workplaces.
In this case, TPR reporter Brian Kirkpatrick, a member of the bargaining unit, filed a petition with the NLRB for a “decertification” election to terminate SAG-AFTRA from his workplace.
A decertification petition requires at least 30% of workers in the bargaining unit. Kirkpatrick’s petition was signed by a majority of his colleagues. Last month, a majority of TPR employees voted to remove SAG-AFTRA from their workplace.
“The petitioners here at Texas Public Radio are very pleased with the outcome of the union decertification vote,” he said in a statement, thanking the NRWF for its support. “We encourage others in need of legal guidance on workplace matters such as this to do the same. Moving ahead, each of us looks forward to working with the responsive leadership of Texas Public Radio on issues of salary and benefits based on individual job performance and merit.”
After the vote, the NLRB certified the results, officially ended SAG-AFTRA union officials’ monopoly bargaining power over TPR workers. SAG-AFTRA’s removal came one year after union representatives installed themselves into the company and never negotiated a contract for any of the employees they claimed to represent, Kirkpatrick said.
“We are proud to have assisted the workers at Texas Public Radio as they fought for their freedom from union bosses they don’t support,” NRWF President Mark Mix said. “Around the country, workers are questioning union bosses’ priorities, as those officials demonstrate that they are out of step with the needs of the workers they supposedly ‘represent.’”
Since Jan. 1, 2023, the NRWF has won, won in part, or favorably settled 12 cases in Texas.
Last year, NRWF helped crude oil drivers for Sunoco Logistics Partners successfully remove United Steelworkers union bosses from their place of employment in four states, including Texas, The Center Square reported.
These cases exclude NRWF assisting Dallas-based Southwest Airlines flight attendant Charlene Carter, who sued after being discriminated against for her religious beliefs.
After a nine-year legal battle, Carter won a $1 million judgment in April, The Center Square reported. The jury initially awarded her $5 million but due to legal limitations, it was reduced to the highest amount under the law. She also got her job back.
In this case, Carter was fired after a Transport Workers Union member referred to her as a “cancerous tumor” to be “eradicated” and the focus of a “targeted assassination” on social media – solely because she objected to her union dues being used to advocate for abortion, The Center Square exclusively reported.
U.S. District Judge Brantley Starr sanctioned the airline and issued a blistering rebuke in a 2023 contempt order for not complying with his directives, The Center Square reported. The case is ongoing because he asked for briefs on the contempt order and has yet to issue a final ruling in response.
The airline and TWU appealed to the Fifth Circuit and lost. The appellate court affirmed the lower court’s finding that Southwest and TWU discriminated against Carter based on her religious beliefs. TWU didn’t respond to a request for comment when asked if it supported the online harassment of employees.
Carter is still being forced to pay union dues 13 years after she withdrew her membership. The NRWF told The Center Square she is paying a reduced amount that excludes dues for politics since she opted out of union membership.

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