by Jon Styf
A former employee from Blanchfield Army Community Hospital received $10,000 and an apology from a union as a result of her lawsuit regarding union dues.
Dorothy Frame was employed by J&J Worldwide Service, providing cleaning services for the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital on the Tennessee side of Fort Campbell, which is on the state’s border with Kentucky.
J&J employees are required to be union members, but Frame, a Catholic, refused to join the Laborers’ International Union of North America (LIUNA) because she said it funds and supports abortion rights.
Tennessee is a right-to-work state, meaning no worker is required to join a union as a term of employment, but J&J told Frame that Fort Campbell is a “federal enclave” and, therefore, not subject to state law.
Frame’s case was filed at no cost to her by the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation. Frame received $10,000 and the letter of apology in exchange for withdrawing the case.
“I knew in my heart and in my soul that I was right,” Frame said. “This is one of the greatest things that I’ve ever done in my life. It was hard; it was so hard.”
Frame first requested an exemption from paying dues in July 2019, including a letter from her priest, but she was denied. She filed a discrimination charge against LIUNA with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) in December 2019.
The EEOC issued Frame a “right to sue” letter.
“Despite being targeted with years of bullying and discrimination by LIUNA officials, Ms. Frame refused to forsake her religious beliefs and stood firm for her rights,” National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix said. “She has now prevailed decisively against LIUNA’s illegal attempt to force her to choose between remaining true to her beliefs and staying employed.”
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Jon Styf is an award-winning editor and reporter who has worked in Illinois, Texas, Wisconsin, Florida and Michigan in local newsrooms over the past 20 years, working for Shaw Media, Hearst and several other companies.
Photo “Blanchfield Army Community Hospital” by Blanchfield Army Community Hospital.
