Union Transparency Rules Rolled Back

Monday, April 27, 2009 12:49 PM

The Obama Administration, which had boasted its commitment to transparency and openness when it comes to government spending and has so far been unable to live up to its promises (and has broken them on several occasions, especially when it comes to the "sunlight before signing" promise), has reversed a rule requiring labor unions and their leaders to report information about their finances and compensation.

According to the Washington Times:

The Labor Department noted in a recent disclosure that "it would not be a good use of resources" to bring enforcement actions against union officials who do not comply with conflict of interest reporting rules passed in 2007. Instead, union officials will now be allowed to file older, less detailed conflict reports.

Also rolled back is a rule that requires unions to report more information about finances and labor leaders' compensation on annual reports.

Both of these changes are troubling steps backwards, since federal disclosure requirements for unions constitute the only means to hold union leaders accountable for unionized workers. Visit the Alliance for Worker Freedom's website for more information on this issue.

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