Labor union sues Indiana, calls working alongside nonunion employees ‘slavery’

The Daily Caller ^ | 04/22/2012 | David Martosko

[Publius804]

In a lawsuit against three Indiana government officials, a labor union alleged on Wednesday that its constitutional rights under the Thirteenth Amendment — which outlawed “slavery” and “involuntary servitude” — are violated whenever its members are forced to work alongside nonunion employees.

The International Union of Operating Engineers, whose members work as heavy equipment operators, mechanics and construction surveyors, sued Indiana’s governor, attorney general, and labor commissioner in February, alleging that the state’s “right to work” law is unconstitutional.

Indiana’s law prohibits employers from making union membership a condition of getting or keeping a job. The union’s February lawsuit claimed the law violated its members’ Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of “equal protection” under the law.

But an amended complaint filed on Wednesday added a Thirteenth Amendment claim as well. The new lawsuit suggests that when nonunion employees earn higher salaries and better benefits because of the union’s negotiation on behalf of its members, the union has been forced to work for those nonunion employees for free.

And being forced to work without compensation, the union suggested in its revised lawsuit, is slavery.

“In this case, the Defendants have exacted compulsory service and/or involuntary servitude from the Union through the combination of the passage of the Right to Work law and the existing federal requirement of the duty of fair representation,” the amended complaint reads.

[Buckeye Battle Cry]

I’ll be stunned if this act of desperation makes it past the first motion for summary dismissal.

[Chode]

feh...

[Texas Eagle]

The new lawsuit suggests that when nonunion employees earn higher salaries and better benefits because of the union’s negotiation on behalf of its members, the union has been forced to work for those nonunion employees for free.

Gee, Mr. Union, someone is FORCING you to do what you do? That does sound bad.

Now, see, if you would just help get Conservatives elected to office, we could get an Attorney General to go after those dastardly people and then you'd be free to go out and look for a job where you aren't being threatened with a flogging for stepping out of line.

Prayers up for you, Mr. U.

[Texas Eagle]

Having never served as a slave or being descended from slaves, isn’t it somewhat insulting to compare the working conditions Union Representatives endure every day to that which slaves experienced?