High Country Times: Walberg, Allen seek feedback on improving worker voice in unions

Education and Workforce Committee Chairman Tim Walberg (R-MI) and Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Subcommittee Chairman Rick Allen (R-GA) have reached out to various stakeholders for input on enhancing the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA). Their goal is to empower rank-and-file union members with a greater voice in their unions.

In their communication, Walberg and Allen highlight that "The [LMRDA] was enacted to guarantee certain rights to union members, safeguard union democracy, and ensure labor organizations maintain financial integrity. More than six decades later, union members remain the best stewards of their own organizations."

The letter also addresses concerns about the current state of information access and member influence within unions: "Too often, rank-and-file workers lack the timely information and meaningful voice they need to hold elected leaders accountable for both fiscal and political decisions. Recent misconduct cases, ranging from embezzlement to unauthorized political expenditures, underscore the need for a modernized framework that prioritizes the rights of individual members to hold union leadership accountable and that provides individual union members with more control over how labor organizations operate."

Walberg and Allen are seeking stakeholder input on several key areas:

1. Strengthening Member Governance and Voting Rights: The Committee is interested in comments on how Congress can better clarify union member rights during strike negotiations and elections.

2. Fiscal Transparency and Fiduciary Duty: They question whether the current Form LM-2 is adequate for members to understand dues allocation among various activities. Suggestions for additional reforms are welcomed.

3. Political Expenditures and Member Consent: Feedback is requested on reforms that could provide more direct control and transparency over dues used for lobbying or campaign contributions.

4. Digital Disclosure and Data Accessibility: Input is sought on leveraging technology to reduce paperwork while safeguarding personal information if more detailed data is published online.

5. Enforcement, Compliance Assistance, and Whistleblower Protections: The effectiveness of current penalties under the LMRDA in deterring misconduct is questioned. Suggestions for updating these measures or establishing stronger whistleblower protections are invited.

The full text of the letter can be accessed online.