| In 1959, Congress passed the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) to make sure that labor unions met certain fiscal responsibility standards and to guarantee that unions would incorporate democratic principles into their governing structures. Congress created the Bureau of Labor-Management Reports, which in 1963 became the Labor-Management Services Administration, to administer the LMRDA. In 1984, the Labor-Management Services Administration became known as the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS).
Today, OLMS is a division of the Employment Standards Administration of the United States Department of Labor. Its main role is still to administer and enforce the LMRDA, which provides:
- Standards for union officer elections;
- Protections for union funds and assets;
- Reporting requirements for employers, union officers, and labor relations consultants;
- Guaranteed rights for union members; and
- Requirements that labor unions report and disclose financial information and information related to their administrative procedures.
OLMS is also responsible for administering laws relating to the conduct of labor unions for federal employees. These requirements, which are found in the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and the Foreign Service Act of 1980, are similar to those found in the LMRDA.
OLMS performs four major activities:
- OLMS periodically conducts audits to determine whether unions are complying with the LMRDA.
- Unions, employers, certain officers and employees of labor unions, and surety companies are required under the LMRDA to file reports with the OLMS. These reports disclose financial information, set forth the bylaws and constitutions of the unions, and disclose financial interests, like loans, that private parties may have in a union. These reports are available for the public to view at OLMS.
- The OLMS also conducts investigations to determine whether parties have violated the LMRDA. The OLMS conducts these investigations based upon referrals received from union members or employers. It also conducts some investigations based upon information discovered during its compliance audits. The OLMS may investigate a number of illegal activities, including embezzlement of union dues or improper union officer elections. If the OLMS determines that an embezzlement prosecution is warranted, it must hand the case over to a United States attorney for potential prosecution.
- The OLMS seeks to assist unions and others in complying with the LMRDA by educating both unions and their members of their rights and obligations under the LMRDA. The OLMS conducts seminars and workshops, publishes educational literature, and encourages those protected by the LMRDA to file complaints if necessary.
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