You’ve probably heard about unions’ fondness for sweetheart deals, but what happens when union officials start acting like a clingy ex that won’t let go? Recently, that’s happened more than once with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) locals, including a fresh case out of Saginaw, Michigan.
“Consequences” for going non-union
This saga dates back to Apr. 2024 when IBEW Local 557 officials first confronted electrician Troy Lapine about the “wild rumor” that he was starting his own business, and Lapine informed them that he was resigning his union membership. As an administrative law judge (ALJ) ruling details, Local 557 Business Manager Evan Allardyce warned Lapine that “there would be ‘consequences’ for him becoming a non-Union contractor.” Lapine testified that Allardyce told him that he’d lose his pension and annuity, to which Lapine pointed out that those benefits were vested.
The runaround continued with the IBEW local rejecting his emailed resignation, citing an unwritten rule to make him resubmit in a different format, and then flat-out refusing to accept it. The local fined Lapine over $6,000 for allegedly violating a “moonlighting” clause within the union’s Working Agreement along with portions of the union’s constitution.
Union resignation is a protected right
The ALJ found that the union had, in fact, unlawfully pressed internal charges and fined Lapine. Ultimately, in a recommended order (which the union can still appeal to the NLRB), the ALJ directed that the local remove all records of internal charges and discipline, rescind the fines, “and make Lapine whole for the loss of earnings.”
The ALJ pointed toward Pattern Makers v. NLRB (1985), in which the Supreme Court ruled that workers can end their union membership, and union officials cannot fine or otherwise discipline them for doing so. Further, the NLRA gives workers the right not only to organize and join unions but also “the right to refrain from any or all of such activities.”
The ALJ cited NLRA Section 8(b)(1)(A), which bars unions from restraining workers from exercising those rights, and found that IBEW local officials violated this section by refusing Lapine’s resignation and levying a fine over his post-resignation work.
Another IBEW local went even further
As bad as Lapine’s story is, what he endured isn’t as egregious as what electrician Brian Head experienced with IBEW Local 16 (Evansville, Indiana) in allegations that came to light in summer 2025. As the National Right to Work (NRTW) Legal Defense Foundation previously revealed, Head resigned from IBEW membership and then purchased an electrical firm that was non-union. Local 16 pushed back, first telling Head that he couldn’t effectively resign for six months and then levying an absurd $1.29 million “fine” against him while accusing him of violating the union’s constitution.
NRTW Foundation President Mark Mix, while reflecting on Head’s case, compared IBEW officials’ behavior to “cartel-like control” over electricians. Following an NLRB settlement of the case, that fine evaporated.
Definitely not their first rodeos
Overall, IBEW officials behaving badly is nothing new. Not only do they love to refuse resignation notices, but they also tango with corruption.
This year, former Local 903 business manager Brian McMurry received five years of probation for embezzling over $45,000 in union assets. Former Local 549 financial secretary James Burke pleaded guilty to embezzling $40,011. For a high-profile recent example, look no further than former Local 98 business manager “Johnny Doc” Dougherty, whose sentence was commuted by President Trump following his 2023 conviction in a nearly $600,000 embezzlement scheme.
Same old union tactics, and the only thing that seems to change is the dollar amount.
