National Labor Relations Board v. International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local Union 16, Afl-Cio

**Union Cannot Refuse Work Referrals Over Unpaid Dues** This case involved a dispute between the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) and an electrical workers' union. A worker named Darvin Collins owed back dues to his union, and the union refused to refer him for available work because of this debt. The NLRB argued this was illegal retaliation. The court sided with the NLRB and enforced the Board's order against the union. The court found that the union violated federal labor law by refusing to refer Collins for work due to his unpaid dues. The key issue was that the contract governing this work (called the Toyota Agreement) did not contain a "union security clause" – a provision that would have allowed the union to require dues payments as a condition of employment. This ruling matters for workers because it protects their right to work even when they have disputes with their union over dues. Unions cannot use their role in job referrals as leverage to collect debts unless the employment contract specifically allows it. Workers facing similar situations should know that unions must follow proper procedures and cannot arbitrarily deny work opportunities over financial disputes.