A technician at Boeing’s Auburn facility has won a settlement requiring International Association of Machinists (IAM) union officials to return dues money seized from his wages in violation of his rights under Supreme Court precedent.

In May, Boeing technician Don Zueger filed a federal lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington against the IAM union, maintaining the union breached his rights guaranteed by the foundation-won 1988 CWA v. Beck U.S. Supreme Court decision.

Beck mandates that union officials can only charge union non-members like Zueger reduced union “fees” that exclude money for things like union political activities.

Zueger’s lawsuit revealed that IAM officials were calculating his fee amount using financial data from unions completely outside his workplace, and in doing so were charging him well over the legal limit.

Zueger received free legal aid from the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.