Union disclosure | National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation

Union disclosure

Obama Administration Ethics Coverup? Right to Work Foundation Responds to Labor Department Stonewalling

Wed, 09/30/2009 - 11:08 — Anthony Riedel

After President Barack Obama made numerous promises for a more transparent government, the Department of Labor (DOL) has, for nearly six months, hidden Big Labor insiders Hilda Solis and Deborah Greenfield activities from National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix's Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request.

Witnessing the Administration's corrupt Big Labor political paybacks, the Foundation swiftly sprang into action requesting all documents showing exchanges between Labor Secretary Hilda Solis and union bosses and all documentation regarding policy enforcement concerning Big Labor, the pro-compulsory unionism group American Rights at Work, and ACORN. The Foundation also seeks all documents showing communications between AFL-CIO union lawyer Deborah Greenfield and her former bosses.

Greenfield, a member of Obama's presidential transition team, is a high-ranking official inside Obama’s Labor Department. One item sending red flags is the fact that Greenfield is an AFL-CIO lawyer in a lawsuit challenging DOL union disclosure rules -- the very disclosures that the Obama Administration intends to end. Greenfield and her fellow union partisans have fought for and succeeded in rolling back union disclosure rules that provide details to rank-and-file workers about the use and misuse of their forced union dues.

Freedom@Work readers may remember that the Foundation filed its disclosure demand (pdf) in April. Foundation attorneys are now reiterating that demand and gearing up to litigate if necessary. (To view a pdf copy of the appeal, click here.)

Upon entering office, President Barack Obama claimed his Administration would be transparent -- but his Administration's behavior has failed to keep the President’s word. The Obama Administration's delay in this particular raises questions that DOL may be attempting to cover up some embarrassing ethics violations.

You can watch the Foundation's video regarding the original FOIA request here on our Youtube.com channel.

New Right to Work Podcast: Stop the Obama Administration from Rolling Back Union Disclosure Guidelines

Fri, 02/27/2009 - 18:11 — Will Collins

Take Action Now: Obama Administration Moves to Roll Back Union Disclosure Rules

Wed, 02/25/2009 - 16:59 — Will Collins

In 1959, well-meaning advocates of employee freedom secured passage of the Labor-Management Reporting Disclosure Act (LMRDA), a bill that promised disclosure of union finances with the (mostly unrealized) promise of weeding out corrupt union racketeers.

In 2009, President Barack Obama pledged his Administration would be on the side of disclosure -- but that has been revealed as a false promise.

The Obama Administration has moved to eliminate some modest union disclosure regulations that would allow American workers forced to pay union dues some basic information about the self-awarded “benefits” union bosses enjoy.

Of course, so long as forced unionism privileges remain intact, no amount of disclosure will meaningfully increase union accountability, but perhaps employees will gain a greater awareness of how their forced dues are spent.

Please watch the video below and then go to the Department of Labor's website to comment on these detrimental regulatory changes. All comments related to this issue must be made by March 5.

You can view the Foundation’s request for extension link or make your own comment regarding the effective date change. (Just click on the yellow comment icon in either of the above links to add your own comments about this cover-up of union boss corruption.)

Note: You should have Docket: LMSO-2008-0002 listed at the top of your comment. Please let them know how you feel about this power grab. Feel free to e-mail us a copy of your comment.

You may also visit Regulations.gov and enter LMSO-2008-0002 to comment, search comments, or read your own comment after it's been published.

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The National Right to Work Foundation provides free legal aid to employees so they can fight back against union coercion and abuse.

The Foundation must rely on the voluntary support of individual Americans who believe in our cause and wish to advance our strategic litigation program. To make a fully tax-deductible donation in whatever amount, please click here.

Foundation Files Comments With DOL On Union Disclosure Rules

Fri, 04/18/2008 - 11:16 — Patrick Semmens

Today, National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation staff attorney Glenn Taubman filed official comments with the Department of Labor regarding a proposal to mandate public financial reporting for union trusts.

As yesterday's post on $25 million that was misused from five union pension funds makes clear, these trust funds can be used to funnel money to things ranging from the Democrat party to strip clubs and horse farms. Any increased disclosure would be a step (though perhaps only a small one) in the right direction.

One area that the Foundation's comments focus on is the loophole for so-called "sensitive information":

This "sensitive information" exception to full disclosure is simply a loophole allowing union and trust fund officials to unilaterally determine what disclosure must be made public, and then hide a vast array of questionable expenditures. Financial reports of trust fund operations and expenditures can never be considered "confidential" information, because this money is owned by the employees, not the union or trust fund officials. Fiduciary agents have no right to maintain secret record or engage in secret transactions that are purposefully hidden from principals - the employees who are the actual owners of the funds.

Expect Big Labor to fight tooth and nail any proposal that would give employees better access to information about the money they are being forced to hand over to union and trust fund officials.