The American Spectator

Print Email

Text Size

Special Report

(Page 2 of 2)

The unions claim that the disclosure requirements are too expensive. Obviously, regulatory oversight involves a balance. When the OLMS proposed revising the LM-2 disclosure form in 2005, requiring unions to list any expenditure above $250, criticism from organized labor caused the Bush administration to set the threshold at $5000. The AFL-CIO's John Sweeney claimed that compliance would "cost union members an estimated billion dollars a year," with the average union bill at $1.2 million. The AFL- CIO actually paid out $54,150--a quarter of Sweeney's salary, John J. Miller notes. That hardly seems an unreasonable price for ensuring that the union's millions of members are kept informed about their union's activities, supposedly on their behalf.

Another contention is that other forms of oversight -- of mining, for instance -- are more important. But the OLMS budget has no impact on other oversight activities; spending a few million dollars more on the Office would have no impact on other funding levels. Anyway, if the Democrats really are worried about money, they could kill a few earmarks to generate enough cash for the OLMS.

DOES THE OFFICE REALLY need more funds? Enforcing disclosure rules and prosecuting financial crimes would seem to be among Uncle Sam's most important roles. Yet last year OLMS was able to conduct compliance audits of fewer than 4.6 percent of unions. Given the incentives for union officials to hide their crimes, more rather than fewer audits would seem to be warranted.

No agency of government, even one with as laudable a mission as the OLMS, should be exempt from scrutiny by Congress. But that review should be non-partisan and objective, not adopted at the behest of a well-funded and self-interested political lobby.

If the Democrats don't believe that labor unions should have to disclose their finances to their members and be subject to prosecution for criminally abusing their members, then let them say so honestly. Otherwise, House Democrats should reverse themselves and vote OLMS enough money to protect union members and the rest of us.

topics:
Nancy Pelosi, Business, Earmarks, Law, Energy, Unions