Union transparency rules are only as strong as their enforcement

The AFL-CIO just became the latest labor organization to fight against reforms that would help rank-and-file union members find out how union officials spend their money.

The union sued the U.S. Department of Labor last week, claiming it and other large unions were “blindsided” by “sweeping changes” in a new financial disclosure rule finalized by the federal government.

A federation of 65 unions representing 15 million workers, the AFL-CIO is a bellwether for the nation’s union culture — and on transparency, it is broadcasting a message of fierce resistance. As an attorney who represents public workers harmed by union misconduct, I am not surprised. I would also add a warning: My clients learned they cannot assume union officials will follow transparency laws, new or old, or that government officials will even enforce them.  

Consider Connecticut. Since 1957, state law has required public-sector unions to file annual financial reports with the labor commissioner. Unions must make those reports readily available to members, who also have the right to ask the state to audit them. In theory, the law empowers public workers, many of whom pay around $1,000 or more in dues every year, to see how union officials are spending their money.

This should make it harder for union officials to misuse workers’ money without detection. But most unions have never filed the required reports — and for years, state officials didn’t seem to care. Connecticut’s labor commissioner even previously acknowledged that she did not plan to enforce the law because she........

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