Nevada union fires back after worker alleges dues wrongly taken
The Culinary Local 226 union fired back Thursday in response to a Las Vegas Convention Center food service worker’s allegation that the union wrongfully took dues from her.
Rebecca Swank, an employee of food service provider Sodexo, alleged, through a National Labor Relations Board filing earlier this month, that the union took “full union dues” from her paycheck despite her objections to union membership and dues payments.
Swank made the filing, which the board refers to as a “charge,” with the help of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. The foundation, according to its website, is a privately-funded nonprofit organization that works against efforts to “compel” union membership.
Swank alleged that the union took dues from her paycheck, despite “two written letters” where Swank alleges that she “revoked any dues check-off.”
According to a Culinary union annual statement that was filed with the board in January, union dues can be as high as $49.50 per month.
In a statement posted to the union’s website Thursday evening, however, Secretary-Treasurer Ted Pappageorge called the claims “false” and promised to fight the accusations.
“We are confident the facts will show our actions were lawful,” Pappageorge said.
Through a news release from the foundation, Swank called Culinary union officials “abrasive” and “ineffective in standing up” for employee interests.
“They’re doing something full-on illegal by stopping me from exercising my right under Nevada’s Right to Work law to stop financially supporting them,” Swank said in the news release. “That’s wrong, and I hope the NLRB gets to the bottom of this.”
Swank could not be reached for comment.
In Nevada, the state’s right-to-work laws restrict unions from requiring employees to pay dues as a condition of of their employment.
Sodexo representatives did not return messages from the Review-Journal for comment.
Culinary Local 226 and Bartenders Local 165 represent close to 60,000 workers in Nevada, including the majority of workers at Strip and downtown Las Vegas casinos.
Contact Bryan Horwath at bhorwath@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0399. Follow @BryanHorwath on X.
