ORANGE, Calif. (Legal Newsline) -- A healthcare worker has filed a complaint alleging the Service Employees International Union Healthcare Workers West and Chapman Medical Center illegally manipulated a union organizing election and subsequently compelled workers to recognize union they did not want.

Marlene Felter of Costa Mesa filed the unfair labor practice complaint with the National Labor Relations Board Region 21 in Los Angeles on Feb. 3. According to the National Right to Work Foundation, which is providing Felter with representation, the management entered into a "neutrality agreement." This arrangement is designed to facilitate union representation.

The NRWF says "in the agreement, company officials granted union operatives access to company facilities to conduct a coercive "card check" organizing campaign, and waived the right to have a federally-supervised secret ballot election to determine whether employees wished to be unionized. Union organizers frequently use "card check" organizing tactics to bribe, browbeat, or cajole workers into forced-union-dues payments against their will."

A majority of hospital workers protested the SEIU union representation said NRWF. But Chapman's management accepted SEIU union officials as the workers' monopoly bargaining agents after conducting a "card count," which Felter says was staged.

The federal unfair labor practice charges Felter filed is asking for injunctive relief to prevent hospital and SEIU officials from negotiating a contract on the basis of the union recognition because the union does not have majority support of the workforce.

"Chapman and SEIU officials have colluded to shove SEIU union bosses' 'representation' - and with it forced dues payments - down workers' throats," said Mark Mix, President of National Right to Work. "Schemes like this show that the ultimate goal of union officials is more forced dues collected from workers, even when rank-and-file employees want nothing to do with the union."