Grace Powell, an organizer for New York City's largest janitors' union, says that she was fired after testifying in court that the union had pressured workers to support a political candidate. Powell was also running to be the local's executive vice president. A spokeswoman for the union denied these allegations and said that Powell was let go because there were no longer any jobs available when she returned from maternity leave. However, there have been reports that other workers who cooperated with the investigation of the union's political conduct were also fired.
See "Worker Says Union Fired Her for Testifying on '01 Primary", Steven Greenhouse, The New York Times, July 23, 2003