Employees at Reed & Perrine Lawn Products in Manalapan Township, New Jersey, succeeded on April 22 in removing United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 152 officials from their workplace after a year-and-a-half delay caused by union legal tactics. The effort began in November 2024 when Christine Bradach, an employee at the company, filed a decertification petition with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) with assistance from National Right to Work Foundation attorneys.
The case highlights how union blocking charges can postpone employee-requested votes for extended periods. Bradach’s petition included enough signatures to trigger an NLRB election to decide whether to keep or remove the union. However, UFCW officials filed “blocking charges”—unproven allegations of employer misconduct—which led NLRB Region 22 to halt the vote without holding a hearing into the validity of those claims.
Nearly eighteen months later, UFCW withdrew its blocking charges after being informed that they would likely be dismissed for lack of merit. Soon after, UFCW Local 152 announced it was “disclaiming interest” and leaving the facility before a vote could take place. During this period, employees were still required to pay dues because New Jersey does not have Right to Work protections that make such payments voluntary.
Bradach said: “My colleagues and I had had it with the UFCW, but they stuck around in the workplace after we made it clear we no longer wanted the union. It’s a farce for them to claim they ‘represented’ us, especially when they were actively trying to block us from just having a vote on whether we wanted to continue with the union. My colleagues and I are glad we’re finally free.”
Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work Foundation, said: “As Ms. Bradach’s case shows all too well, the ‘blocking charge’ policy just incentivizes union officials to act cynically and opportunistically while the rights of the workers they claim to ‘represent’ suffer.” He added: “The Trump NLRB should work quickly to protect workers’ freedom of choice from restrictive and unreasonable doctrines like the ‘blocking charge’ policy.”
The National Right to Work Legal Defense and Education Foundation works on protecting employees from compulsory unionism by offering free legal aid as well as public education efforts according to its official website. The organization also advances worker freedom through strategic litigation related to mandatory union issues according to its official website. In addition, it provides educational resources aimed at safeguarding workers’ rights against mandatory fees as noted on its official website, focusing broadly on labor rights advocacy according to its official website.
