Public Law 86-257, September 14, 1959, 73 Stat.
519-546, as amended by:
Public Law 89-216, September 29, 1965, 79 Stat.
888
Public Law 98-473, October 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2031, 2133,
2134
Public Law 99-217, December 26, 1985, 99 Stat. 1728
Public Law 100-182, December 7, 1987, 101 Stat. 1266, 1269
[Revised text1 shows new or amended language in
boldface type.]
An Act to provide for the reporting and disclosure of certain
financial transactions and administrative practices of labor
organizations and employers, to prevent abuses in the
administration of trusteeships by labor organizations, to provide
standards with respect to the election of officers of labor
organizations, and for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of
the United States of America in Congress assembled,
That this Act
may be cited as the "Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
of 1959."
§2. Declaration of Findings,
Purposes, and Policy (29 U.S.C. §401)
(a) The Congress finds that, in the public interest, it
continues to be the responsibility of the Federal Government to
protect employees' rights to organize, choose their own
representatives, bargain collectively, and otherwise engage in
concerted activities for their mutual aid or protection; that the
relations between employers and labor organizations and the
millions of workers they represent have a substantial impact on the
commerce of the Nation; and that in order to accomplish the
objective of a free flow of commerce it is essential that labor
organizations, employers, and their officials adhere to the highest
standards of responsibility and ethical conduct in administering
the affairs of their organizations, particularly as they affect
labor-management relations.
(b) The Congress further finds, from recent investigations in
the labor and management fields, that there have been a number of
instances of breach of trust, corruption, disregard of the rights
of individual employees, and other failures to observe high
standards of responsibility and ethical conduct which require
further and supplementary legislation that will afford necessary
protection of the rights and interests of employees and the public
generally as they relate to the activities of labor organizations,
employers, labor relations consultants, and their officers and
representatives.
(c) The Congress, therefore, further finds and declares that the
enactment of this Act is necessary to eliminate or prevent improper
practices on the part of labor organizations, employers, labor
relations consultants, and their officers and representatives which
distort and defeat the policies of the Labor Management Relations
Act, 1947, as amended, and the Railway Labor Act, as amended, and
have the tendency or necessary effect of burdening or obstructing
commerce by
(c)(1) impairing the efficiency, safety, or
operation of the instrumentalities of commerce;
(c)(2) occurring in the current of
commerce;
(c)(3) materially affecting, restraining, or controlling the
flow of raw materials or manufactured or processed goods into or
from the channels of commerce, or the prices of such materials or
goods in commerce; or
(c)(4) causing diminution of employment and
wages in such volume as substantially to impair or disrupt the
market for goods flowing into or from the channels of commerce.
§3. Definitions (29
U.S.C. §402)
For the purposes of
titles I, II, III, IV, V (except section 505), and VI of this
Act. -
(a) "Commerce" means
trade, traffic, commerce, transportation, transmission, or
communication among the several States or between any State and any
place outside thereof.
(b) "State" includes any
State of the United States, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico,
the Virgin Islands, American Samoa, Guam, Wake Island, the Canal
Zone, and Outer Continental Shelf lands defined in the Outer
Continental Shelf Lands Act (43 U.S.C.
1331-1343).
(c) "Industry affecting
commerce" means any activity, business, or industry in commerce or
in which a labor dispute would hinder or obstruct commerce or the
free flow of commerce and includes any activity or industry
"affecting commerce" within the meaning of the Labor Management
Relations Act, 1947, as amended, or the Railway Labor Act, as
amended.
(d) "Person" includes one
or more individuals, labor organizations, partnerships,
associations, corporations, legal representatives, mutual
companies, joint-stock companies, trusts, unincorporated
organizations, trustees, trustees in cases under Title 11 of the
United States Code ,2 or receivers.
(e) "Employer" means any
employer or any group or association of employers engaged in an
industry affecting commerce
(e)(1) which is,
with respect to employees engaged in an industry affecting
commerce, an employer within the meaning of any law of the United
States relating to the employment of any employees or
(e)(2) which may
deal with any labor organization concerning grievances, labor
disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours of employment, or conditions
of work, and includes any person acting directly or indirectly as
an employer or as an agent of an employer in relation to an
employee but does not include the United States or any corporation
wholly owned by the Government of the United States or any State or
political subdivision thereof.
(f) "Employee" means any
individual employed by an employer, and includes any individual
whose work has ceased as a consequence of, or in connection with,
any current labor dispute or because of any unfair labor practice
or because of exclusion or expulsion from a labor organization in
any manner or for any reason inconsistent with the requirements of
this Act.
(g) "Labor dispute"
includes any controversy concerning terms, tenure, or conditions of
employment, or concerning the association or representation of
persons in negotiating, fixing, maintaining, changing, or seeking
to arrange terms or conditions of employment, regardless of whether
the disputants stand in the proximate relation of employer and
employee.
(h) "Trusteeship" means
any receivership, trusteeship, or other method of supervision or
control whereby a labor organization suspends the autonomy
otherwise available to a subordinate body under its constitution or
bylaws.
( i) "Labor organization" means a labor
organization engaged in an industry affecting commerce and includes
any organization of any kind, any agency, or employee
representation committee, group, association, or plan so engaged in
which employees participate and which exists for the purpose, in
whole or in part, of dealing with employers concerning grievances,
labor disputes, wages, rates of pay, hours, or other terms or
conditions of employment, and any conference, general committee,
joint or system board, or joint council so engaged which is
subordinate to a national or international labor organization,
other than a State or local central body.
(j) Alabor organization
shall be deemed to be engaged in an industry affecting commerce if
it.
(j)(1) is the
certified representative of employees under the provisions of the
National Labor Relations
Act, as amended, or the Railway Labor Act, as amended; or
(j)(2) although not
certified, is a national or international labor organization or a
local labor organization recognized or acting as the representative
of employees of an employer or employers engaged in an industry
affecting commerce; or
(j)(3) has
chartered a local labor organization or subsidiary body which is
representing or actively seeking to represent employees of
employers within the meaning of paragraph (1) or (2); or
(j)(4) has been
chartered by a labor organization representing or actively seeking
to represent employees within the meaning of paragraph (1) or (2)
as the local or subordinate body through which such employees may
enjoy membership or become affiliated with such labor organization;
or
(j)(5) is a conference,
general committee, joint or system board, or joint council,
subordinate to a national or international labor organization,
which includes a labor organization engaged in an industry
affecting commerce within the meaning of any of the preceding
paragraphs of this subsection, other than a State or local central
body.
(k) "Secret ballot" means
the expression by ballot, voting machine, or otherwise, but in no
event by proxy, of a choice with respect to any election or vote
taken upon any matter, which is cast in such a manner that the
person expressing such choice cannot be identified with the choice
expressed.
(l) "Trust in which a
labor organization is interested" means a trust or other fund or
organization
(l)(1) which was
created or established by a labor organization, or one or more of
the trustees or one or more members of the governing body of which
is selected or appointed by a labor organization, and
(l)(2) a primary purpose
of which is to provide benefits for the members of such labor
organization or their beneficiaries.
(m) "Labor relations
consultant" means any person who, for compensation, advises or
represents an employer, employer organization, or labor
organization concerning employee organizing, concerted activities,
or collective bargaining activities.
(n) "Officer" means any
constitutional officer, any person authorized to perform the
functions of president, vice president, secretary, treasurer, or
other executive functions of a labor organization, and any member
of its executive board or similar governing body.
(o) "Member" or "member
in good standing", when used in reference to a labor organization,
includes any person who has fulfilled the requirements for
membership in such organization, and who neither has voluntarily
withdrawn from membership nor has been expelled or suspended from
membership after appropriate proceedings consistent with lawful
provisions of the constitution and bylaws of such organization.
(p) "Secretary" means the
Secretary of Labor.
(q) "Officer, agent, shop
steward, or other representative", when used with respect to a
labor organization, includes elected officials and key
administrative personnel, whether elected or appointed (such as
business agents, heads of departments or major units, and
organizers who exercise substantial independent authority), but
does not include salaried nonsupervisory professional staff,
stenographic, and service personnel.
(r) "District court of
the United States" means a United States district court and a
United States court of any place subject to the jurisdiction of the
United States.
TITLE I -- BILL OF RIGHTS OF MEMBERS OF LABOR
ORGANIZATIONS
§101. Bill of
Rights (29 U.S.C. §411)
(a)(1) Equal
Rights. ― Every member of a labor organization
shall have equal rights and privileges within such organization to
nominate candidates, to vote in elections or referendums of the
labor organization, to attend membership meetings and to
participate in the deliberations and voting upon the business of
such meetings, subject to reasonable rules and regulations in such
organization's constitution and bylaws.
(a)(2)
Freedom of Speech and Assembly. ― Every member of any labor
organization shall have the right to meet and assemble freely with
other members; and to express any views, arguments, or opinions;
and to express at meetings of the labor organization his views,
upon candidates in an election of the labor organization or upon
any business properly before the meeting, subject to the
organization's established and reasonable rules pertaining to the
conduct of meetings: Provided, That nothing herein shall be
construed to impair the right of a labor organization to adopt and
enforce reasonable rules as to the responsibility of every member
toward the organization as an institution and to his refraining
from conduct that would interfere with its performance of its legal
or contractual obligations.
(a)(3) Dues,
Initiation Fees, and Assessments. ― Except in the case of a
federation of national or international labor organizations, the
rates of dues and initiation fees payable by members of any labor
organization in effect on the date of enactment of this Act shall
not be increased, and no general or special assessment shall be
levied upon such members, except
(a)(3)(A)
in the case
of a local organization,
(a)(3)(A)( i) by majority vote by secret ballot of the
members in good standing voting at a general or special membership
meeting, after reasonable notice of the intention to vote upon such
question, or
(a)(3)(A)(ii) by majority vote of
the members in good standing voting in a membership referendum
conducted by secret ballot; or
(a)(3)(B)
in the case
of a labor organization, other than a local labor organization or a
federation of national or international labor organizations,
(a)(3)(B)( i) by majority vote of the delegates voting
at a regular convention, or at a special convention of such labor
organization held upon not less than thirty days' written notice to
the principal office of each local or constituent labor
organization entitled to such notice, or
(a)(3)(B)(ii) by majority vote of
the members in good standing of such labor organization voting in a
membership referendum conducted by secret ballot, or
(a)(3)(B)(iii) by majority vote
of the members of the executive board or similar governing body of
such labor organization, pursuant to express authority contained in
the constitution and bylaws of such labor organization: Provided,
That such action on the part of the executive board or similar
governing body shall be effective only until the next regular
convention of such labor organization.
(a)(4)
Protection of the Right to Sue. ― No labor organization
shall limit the right of any member thereof to institute an action
in any court, or in a proceeding before any administrative agency,
irrespective of whether or not the labor organization or its
officers are named as defendants or respondents in such action or
proceeding, or the right of any member of a labor organization to
appear as a witness in any judicial, administrative, or legislative
proceeding, or to petition any legislature or to communicate with
any legislator: Provided, That any such member may be required to
exhaust reasonable hearing procedures (but not to exceed a
four-month lapse of time) within such organization, before
instituting legal or administrative proceedings against such
organizations or any officer thereof: And provided further, That no
interested employer or employer association shall directly or
indirectly finance, encourage, or participate in, except as a
party, any such action, proceeding, appearance, or petition.
(a)(5) Safeguards against Improper
Disciplinary Action. ― No member of any labor organization may
be fined, suspended, expelled, or otherwise disciplined except for
nonpayment of dues by such organization or by any officer thereof
unless such member has been
(a)(5)(A)
served with
written specific charges;
(a)(5)(B)
given a
reasonable time to prepare his defense;
(a)(5)(C)
afforded a
full and fair hearing.
(b) Any provision of
the constitution and bylaws of any labor organization which is
inconsistent with the provisions of this section shall be of no
force or effect.
§102. Civil
Enforcement (29 U.S.C. §412)
Any person whose rights secured by the provisions of this title
have been infringed by any violation of this title may bring a
civil action in a district court of the United States for such
relief (including injunctions) as may be appropriate. Any such
action against a labor organization shall be brought in the
district court of the United States for the district where the
alleged violation occurred, or where the principal office of such
labor organization is located.
§103. Retention
of Existing Rights (29 U.S.C. §413)
Nothing contained in this title shall limit the rights and
remedies of any member of a labor organization under any State or
Federal law or before any court or other tribunal, or under the
constitution and bylaws of any labor organization.
§104. Right to
Copies of Collective Bargaining Agreements (29 U.S.C. §414)
It shall be the duty of the secretary or corresponding principal
officer of each labor organization, in the case of a local labor
organization, to forward a copy of each collective bargaining
agreement made by such labor organization with any employer to any
employee who requests such a copy and whose rights as such employee
are directly affected by such agreement, and in the case of a labor
organization other than a local labor organization, to forward a
copy of any such agreement to each constituent unit which has
members directly affected by such agreement; and such officer shall
maintain at the principal office of the labor organization of which
he is an officer copies of any such agreement made or received by
such labor organization, which copies shall be available for
inspection by any member or by any employee whose rights are
affected by such agreement. The provisions of section 210 shall be
applicable in the enforcement of this section.
§105. Information
as to Act (29 U.S.C. §415)
Every labor organization shall inform its members concerning the
provisions of this Act.
TITLE II -- REPORTING BY LABOR ORGANIZANONS, OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES OF LABOR
ORGANIZATIONS, AND EMPLOYERS
§201. Report of
Labor Organizations (29 U.S.C.
§431)
(a) Every labor organization shall adopt a constitution and
bylaws and shall file a copy thereof with the Secretary, together
with a report, signed by its president and secretary or
corresponding principal officers, containing the following
information
(a)(1) the name of the labor organization, its mailing address,
and any other address at which it maintains its principal office or
at which it keeps the records referred to in this title;
(a)(2) the
name and title of each of its officers;
(a)(3) the
initiation fee or fees required from a new or transferred member
and fees for work permits required by the reporting labor
organization;
(a)(4) the
regular dues or fees or other periodic payments required to remain
a member of the reporting labor organization; and
(a)(5) detailed statements, or references to
specific provisions of documents filed under this subsection which
contain such statements, showing the provisions made and procedures
followed with respect to each of the following:
(a)(5)(A) qualifications for or restrictions on
membership,
(a)(5)(B) levying of assessments,
(a)(5)(C) participation in insurance or other
benefit plans,
(a)(5)(D) authorization for disbursement of funds
of the labor organization,
(a)(5)(E) audit of financial transactions of the
labor organization,
(a)(5)(F) the calling of regular and special
meetings,
(a)(5)(G) the selection of officers and stewards and of any
representatives to other bodies composed of labor organizations'
representatives, with a specific statement of the manner in which
each officer was elected, appointed, or otherwise selected,
(a)(5)(H) discipline or removal of officers or
agents for breaches of their trust,
(a)(5)(I) imposition of fines, suspensions, and expulsions of
members, including the grounds for such action and any provision
made for notice, hearing, judgment on the evidence, and appeal
procedures,
(a)(5)(J) authorization for bargaining
demands,
(a)(5)(K) ratification of contract terms,
(a)(5)(L) authorization for strikes, and
(a)(5)(M) issuance of work permits. Any change in
the information required by this subsection shall be reported to
the Secretary at the time the reporting labor organization files
with the Secretary the annual financial report required by
subsection (b).
(b) Every labor organization shall file annually with the
Secretary a financial report signed by its president and treasurer
or corresponding principal officers containing the following
information in such detail as may be necessary accurately to
disclose its financial condition and operations for its preceding
fiscal year
(b)(1) assets and liabilities at the beginning
and end of the fiscal year;
(b)(2) receipts of any kind and the sources
thereof,
(b)(3) salary, allowances, and other direct or indirect
disbursements (including reimbursed expenses) to each officer and
also to each employee who, during such fiscal year, received more
than $10,000 in the aggregate from such labor organization and any
other labor organization affiliated with it or with which it is
affiliated, or which is affiliated with the same national or
international labor organization;
(b)(4) direct and indirect loans made to any officer, employee,
or member, which aggregated more than $250 during the fiscal year,
together with a statement of the purpose, security, if any, and
arrangements for repayment;
(b)(5) direct and indirect loans to any business enterprise,
together with a statement of the purpose, security, if any, and
arrangements for repayment; and
(b)(6) other disbursements made by it
including the purposes thereof, all in such categories as the
Secretary may prescribe.
(c) Every labor organization required to submit a report under
this title shall make available the information required to be
contained in such report to all of its members, and every such
labor organization and its officers shall be under a duty
enforceable at the suit of any member of such organization in any
State court of competent jurisdiction or in the district court of
the United States for the district in which such labor organization
maintains its principal office, to permit such member for just
cause to examine any books, records, and accounts necessary to
verify such report. The court in such action may, in its
discretion, in addition to any judgment awarded to the plaintiff or
plaintiffs, allow a reasonable attorney's fee to be paid by the
defendant, and costs of the action.
(d) Subsections (f), (g), and (h) of section 9 of the National Labor Relations
Act, as amended, are hereby repealed.
(e) Clause ( i) of section 8(a)(3) of
the National Labor
Relations Act, as amended, is amended by striking out the
following: "and has at the time the agreement was made or within
the preceding twelve months received from the Board a notice of
compliance with section 9(f), (g), (h)".
§202. Report of Officers and Employees of Labor
Organizations (29 U.S.C. §432)
(a) Every officer of
a labor organization and every employee of a labor organization
(other than an employee performing exclusively clerical or
custodial services) shall file with the Secretary a signed report
listing and describing for his preceding fiscal year
(a)(1) any
stock, bond, security, or other interest, legal or equitable, which
he or his spouse or minor child directly or indirectly held in, and
any income or any other benefit with monetary value (including
reimbursed expenses) which he or his spouse or minor child derived
directly or indirectly from, an employer whose employees such labor
organization represents or is actively seeking to represent, except
payments and other benefits received as a bona fide employee of
such employer;
(a)(2) any
transaction in which he or his spouse or minor child engaged,
directly or indirectly, involving any stock, bond, security, or
loan to or from, or other legal or equitable interest in the
business of an employer whose employees such labor organization
represents or is actively seeking to represent;
(a)(3) any
stock, bond, security, or other interest, legal or equitable, which
he or his spouse or minor child directly or indirectly held in, and
any income or any other benefit with monetary value (including
reimbursed expenses) which he or his spouse or minor child directly
or indirectly derived from, any business a substantial part of
which consists of buying from, selling or leasing to, or otherwise
dealing with, the business of an employer whose employees such
labor organization represents or is actively seeking to
represent;
(a)(4) any
stock, bond, security, or other interest, legal or equitable, which
he or his spouse or minor child directly or indirectly held in, and
any income or any other benefit with monetary value (including
reimbursed expenses) which he or his spouse or minor child directly
or indirectly derived from, a business any part of which consists
of buying from, or selling or leasing directly or indirectly to, or
otherwise dealing with such labor organization;
(a)(5) any
direct or indirect business transaction or arrangement between him
or his spouse or minor child and any employer whose employees his
organization represents or is actively seeking to represent, except
work performed and payments and benefits received as a bona fide
employee of such employer and except purchases and sales of goods
or services in the regular course of business at prices generally
available to any employee of such employer; and
(a)(6) any
payment of money or other thing of value (including reimbursed
expenses) which he or his spouse or minor child received directly
or indirectly from any employer or any person who acts as a labor
relations consultant to an employer, except payments of the kinds
referred to in section 302(c) of the Labor Management Relations
Act, 1947, as amended.
(b) The provisions of
paragraphs (1), (2), (3), (4), and (5) of subsection (a) shall not
be construed to require any such officer or employee to report his
bona fide investments in securities traded on a securities exchange
registered as a national securities exchange under the Securities
Exchange Act of 1934, in shares in an investment company registered
under the Investment Company Act or in securities of a public
utility holding company registered under the Public Utility Holding
Company Act of 1935, or to report any income derived there
from.
(c) Nothing contained
in this section shall be construed to require any officer or
employee of a labor organization to file a report under subsection
(a) unless he or his spouse or minor child holds or has held an
interest, has received income or any other benefit with monetary
value or a loan, or has engaged in a transaction described
therein.
§203. Report of
Employers (29 U.S.C. §433)
(a) Every employer who in any fiscal year made -
(a)(1) any
payment or loan, direct or indirect, of money or other thing of
value (including reimbursed expenses), or any promise or agreement
therefor, to any labor organization or
officer, agent, shop steward, or other representative of a labor
organization, or employee of any labor organization, except
(a)(1)(A) payments or loans made by any national or State bank,
credit union, insurance company, savings and loan association or
other credit institution and
(a)(1)(B) payments of the kind referred to in
section 302(c) of the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947, as
amended;
(a)(2) any payment (including reimbursed expenses) to any of his
employees, or any group or committee of such employees, for the
purpose of causing such employee or group or committee of employees
to persuade other employees to exercise or not to exercise, or as
the manner of exercising, the right to organize and bargain
collectively through representatives of their own choosing unless
such payments were contemporaneously or previously disclosed to
such other employees;
(a)(3) any expenditure, during the fiscal year, where an object
thereof, directly or indirectly, is to interfere with, restrain, or
coerce employees in the exercise of the right to organize and
bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing,
or is to obtain information concerning the activities of employees
or a labor organization in connection with a labor dispute
involving such employer, except for use solely in conjunction with
an administrative or arbitral proceeding or a criminal or civil
judicial proceeding;
(a)(4) any agreement or arrangement with a labor relations
consultant or other independent contractor or organization pursuant
to which such person undertakes activities where an object thereof,
directly or indirectly, is to persuade employees to exercise or not
to exercise, or persuade employees as to the manner of exercising,
the right to organize and bargain collectively through
representatives of their own choosing, or undertakes to supply such
employer with information concerning the activities of employees or
a labor organization in connection with a labor dispute involving
such employer, except information for use solely in conjunction
with an administrative or arbitral proceeding or a criminal or
civil judicial proceeding; or
(a)(5) any payment (including reimbursed expenses) pursuant to
an agreement or arrangement described in subdivision (4); shall
file with the Secretary a report, in a form prescribed by him,
signed by its president and treasurer or corresponding principal
officers showing in detail the date and amount of each such
payment, loan, promise, agreement, or arrangement and the name,
address, and position, if any, in any firm or labor organization of
the person to whom it was made and a full explanation of the
circumstances of all such payments, including the terms of any
agreement or understanding pursuant to which they were made.
(b) Every person who pursuant to any agreement or arrangement
with an employer undertakes activities where an object thereof is,
directly or indirectly
(b)(1) to
persuade employees to exercise or not to exercise, or persuade
employees as to the manner of exercising, the right to organize and
bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing;
or
(b)(2) to supply an employer with information concerning the
activities of employees or a labor organization in connection with
a labor dispute involving such employer, except information for use
solely in conjunction with an administrative or arbitral proceeding
or a criminal or civil judicial proceeding; shall file within
thirty days after entering into such agreement or arrangement a
report with the Secretary, signed by its president and treasurer or
corresponding principal officers, containing the name under which
such person is engaged in doing business and the address of its
principal office, and a detailed statement of the terms and
conditions of such agreement or arrangement. Every such person
shall file annually, with respect to each fiscal year during which
payments were made as a result of such an agreement or arrangement,
a report with the Secretary, signed by its president and treasurer
or corresponding principal officers, containing a statement
(b)(2)(A) of its receipts of any kind from
employers on account of labor relations advice or services,
designating the sources thereof, and
(b)(2)(B) of its disbursements of any kind, in
connection with such services and the purposes thereof. In each
such case such information shall be set forth in such categories as
the Secretary may prescribe.
(c) Nothing in this section shall be construed to require any
employer or other person to file a report covering the services of
such person by reason of his giving or agreeing to give advice to
such employer or representing or agreeing to represent such
employer before any court, administrative agency, or tribunal of
arbitration or engaging or agreeing to engage in collective
bargaining on behalf of such employer with respect to wages, hours,
or other terms or conditions of employment or the negotiation of an
agreement or any question arising thereunder.
(d) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to
require an employer to file a report under subsection (a) unless he
has made an expenditure, payment, loan, agreement, or arrangement
of the kind described therein. Nothing contained in this section
shall be construed to require any other person to file a report
under subsection (b) unless he was a party to an agreement or
arrangement of the kind described therein.
(e) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed to
require any regular officer, supervisor, or employee of an employer
to file a report in connection with services rendered to such
employer nor shall any employer be required to file a report
covering expenditures made to any regular officer, supervisor, or
employee of an employer as compensation for service as a regular
officer, supervisor, or employee of such employer.
(f) Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as an
amendment to, or modification of the rights protected by, section
8(c) of the National Labor
Relations Act, as amended.
(g) The term "interfere with, restrain, or coerce" as used in
this section means interference, restraint, and coercion which, if
done with respect to the exercise of rights guaranteed in section 7
of the National Labor
Relations Act, as amended, would, under section 8(a) of such
Act, constitute an unfair labor practice.
§204. Attorney-Client
Communications Exempted (29 U.S.C. §434).
Nothing contained in this Act shall be construed to require an
attorney who is a member in good standing of the bar of any State,
to include in any report required to be filed pursuant to the
provisions of this Act any information which was lawfully
communicated to such attorney by any of his clients in the course
of a legitimate attorney-client relationship.
§205. Reports
Made Public Information (29 U.S.C. §435).
(a )3 The contents of the
reports and documents filed with the Secretary pursuant to sections
201, 202, 203, and 211 shall be public information, and the
Secretary may publish any information and data which he obtains
pursuant to the provisions of this title. The Secretary may use the
information and data for statistical and research purposes, and
compile and publish such studies, analyses, reports, and surveys
based thereon as he may deem appropriate.
(b)4 The Secretary shall by regulation make
reasonable provision for the inspection and examination, on the
request of any person, of the information and data contained in any
report or other document filed with him pursuant to section 201,
202, 203, or 211.
(c)5 The Secretary shall by regulation provide for
the furnishing by the Department of Labor of copies of reports or
other documents filed with the Secretary pursuant to this title,
upon payment of a charge based upon the cost of the service. The
Secretary shall make available without payment of a charge, or
require any person to furnish, to such State agency as is
designated by law or by the Governor of the State in which such
person has his principal place of business or headquarters, upon
request of the Governor of such State, copies of any reports and
documents filed by such person with the Secretary pursuant to
section 201, 202, 203, or 211, or of information and data contained
therein. No person shall be required by reason of any law of any
State to furnish to any officer or agency of such State any
information included in a report filed by such person with the
Secretary pursuant to the provisions of this title, if a copy of
such report, or of the portion thereof containing such information,
is furnished to such officer or agency. All moneys received in
payment of such charges fixed by the Secretary pursuant to this
subsection shall be deposited in the general fund of the
Treasury.
§206. Retention of Records (29 U.S.C. §436).
Every person required to file any report under this title shall
maintain records on the matters required to be reported which will
provide in sufficient detail the necessary basic information and
data from which the documents filed with the Secretary may be
verified, explained or clarified, and checked for accuracy and
completeness, and shall include vouchers, worksheets, receipts, and
applicable resolutions, and shall keep such records available for
examination for a period of not less than five years after the
filing of the documents based on the information which they
contain.
§207. Effective
Date (29 U.S.C. §437)
(a) Each labor organization shall file the initial report
required under section 201(a) within ninety days after the date on
which it first becomes subject to this Act.
(b)6Each person required to file a report under
section 201(b), 202, 203(a), the second sentence of section 203(b),
or section 211 shall file such report within ninety days after the
end of each of its fiscal years; except that where such person is
subject to section 201(b), 202, 203(a), the second sentence of
section 203(b), or section 211, as the case may be, for only a
portion of such a fiscal year (because the date of enactment of
this Act occurs during such person's fiscal year or such person
becomes subject to this Act during its fiscal year) such person may
consider that portion as the entire fiscal year in making such
report.
§208. Rules and
Regulations (29 U.S.C. §438)
The Secretary shall have authority to issue, amend, and rescind
rules and regulations prescribing the form and publication of
reports required to be filed under this title and such other
reasonable rules and regulations (including rules prescribing
reports concerning trusts in which a labor organization is
interested) as he may find necessary to prevent the circumvention
or evasion of such reporting requirements. In exercising his power
under this section the Secretary shall prescribe by general rule
simplified reports for labor organizations or employers for whom he
finds that by virtue of their size a detailed report would be
unduly burdensome, but the Secretary may revoke such provision for
simplified forms of any labor organization or employer if he
determines, after such investigation as he deems proper and due
notice and opportunity for a hearing, that the purposes of this
section would be served thereby.
§209. Criminal
Provisions (29 U.S.C. §439)
(a) Any person who willfully violates this title shall be fined
not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or
both.
(b) Any person who makes a false statement or representation of
a material fact, knowing it to be false, or who knowingly fails to
disclose a material fact, in any document, report, or other
information required under the provisions of this title shall be
fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one
year, or both.
(c) Any person who willfully makes a false entry in or willfully
conceals, withholds, or destroys any books, records, reports, or
statements required to be kept by any provision of this title shall
be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one
year, or both.
(d) Each individual required to sign reports under sections 201
and 203 shall be personally responsible for the filing of such
reports and for any statement contained therein which he knows to
be false.
§210. Civil
Enforcement (29 U.S.C. §440)
Whenever it shall appear that any person has violated or is
about to violate any of the provisions of this title, the Secretary
may bring a civil action for such relief (including injunctions) as
may be appropriate. Any such action may be brought in the district
court of the United States where the violation occurred or, at the
option of the parties, in the United States District Court for the
District of Columbia
§211. Surety Company
Reports7 (29 U.S.C.
§441)
Each surety company which issues any bond required by this Act
or the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 shall file
annually with the Secretary, with respect to each fiscal year
during which any such bond was in force, a report, in such form and
detail as he may prescribe by regulation, filed by the president
and treasurer or corresponding principal officers of the surety
company, describing its bond experience under each such Act,
including information as to the premiums received, total claims
paid, amounts recovered by way of subrogation, administrative and
legal expenses and such related data and information as the
Secretary shall determine to be necessary in the public interest
and to carry out the policy of the Act. Notwithstanding the
foregoing, if the Secretary finds that any such specific
information cannot be practicably ascertained or would be
uninformative, the Secretary may modify or waive the requirement
for such information.
TITLE III -- TRUSTEESHIPS
§301. Reports (29
U.S.C. §461)
(a) Every labor organization which has or assumes trusteeship
over any subordinate labor organization shall file with the
Secretary within thirty days after the date of the enactment of
this Act or the imposition of any such trusteeship, and
semiannually thereafter, a report, signed by its president and
treasurer or corresponding principal officers, as well as by the
trustees of such subordinate labor organization, containing the
following information:
(a)(1) the
name and address of the subordinate organization;
(a)(2) the
date of establishing the trusteeship;
(a)(3) a
detailed statement of the reason or reasons for establishing or
continuing the trusteeship; and
(a)(4) the nature and extent of participation by the membership
of the subordinate organization in the selection of delegates to
represent such organization in regular or special conventions or
other policy-determining bodies and in the election of officers of
the labor organization which has assumed trusteeship over such
subordinate organization. The initial report shall also include a
full and complete account of the financial condition of such
subordinate organization as of the time trusteeship was assumed
over it. During the continuance of a trusteeship the labor
organization which has assumed trusteeship over a subordinate labor
organization shall file on behalf of the subordinate labor
organization the annual financial report required by section 201(b)
signed by the president and treasurer or corresponding principal
officers of the labor organization which has assumed such
trusteeship and the trustees of the subordinate labor
organization.
(b) The provisions of section 201(c), 205, 206, 208, and 210
shall be applicable to reports filed under this title.
(c) Any person who willfully violates this section shall be
fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one
year, or both.
(d) Any person who makes a false statement or representation of
a material fact, knowing it to be false, or who knowingly fails to
disclose a material fact, in any report required under the
provisions of this section or willfully makes any false entry in or
willfully withholds, conceals, or destroys any documents, books,
records, reports, or statements upon which such report is based,
shall be fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more
than one year, or both.
(e) Each individual required to sign a report under this section
shall be personally responsible for the filing of such report and
for any statement contained therein which he knows to be false.
§302. Purposes for Which a Trusteeship May Be
Established (29 U.S.C. §462).
Trusteeships shall be established and administered by a labor
organization over a subordinate body only in accordance with the
constitution and bylaws of the organization which has assumed
trusteeship over the subordinate body and for the purpose of
correcting corruption or financial malpractice, assuring the
performance of collective bargaining agreements or other duties of
a bargaining representative, restoring democratic procedures, or
otherwise carrying out the legitimate objects of such labor
organization.
§303. Unlawful Acts
Relating to Labor Organization Under Trusteeship (29 U.S.C. §463).
(a) During any period
when a subordinate body of a labor organization is in trusteeship,
it shall be unlawful
(a)(1) to count
the vote of delegates from such body in any convention or election
of officers of the labor organization unless the delegates have
been chosen by secret ballot in an election in which all the
members in good standing of such subordinate body were eligible to
participate or
(a)(2) to transfer to such
organization any current receipts or other funds of the subordinate
body except the normal per capita tax and assessments payable by
subordinate bodies not in trusteeship: Provided, That nothing
herein contained shall prevent the distribution of the assets of a
labor organization in accordance with its constitution and bylaws
upon the bona fide dissolution thereof.
(b) Any person who
willfully violates this section shall be fined not more than
$10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
§304. Enforcement (29 U.S.C. §464).
(a) Upon the written complaint of any member or subordinate body
of a labor organization alleging that such organization has
violated the provisions of this title (except section 301) the
Secretary shall investigate the complaint and if the Secretary
finds probable cause to believe that such violation has occurred
and has not been remedied he shall, without disclosing the identity
of the complainant, bring a civil action in any district court of
the United States having jurisdiction of the labor organization for
such relief (including injunctions) as may be appropriate. Any
member or subordinate body of a labor organization affected by any
violation of this title (except section 301) may bring a civil
action in any district court of the United States having
jurisdiction of the labor organization for such relief (including
injunctions) as may be appropriate.
(b) For the purpose of actions under this section, district
courts of the United States shall be deemed to have jurisdiction of
a labor organization
(b)(1) in
the district in which the principal office of such labor
organization is located, or
(b)(2) in
any district in which its duly authorized officers or agents are
engaged in conducting the affairs of the trusteeship.
(c) In any proceeding pursuant to this section a trusteeship
established by a labor organization in conformity with the
procedural requirements of its constitution and bylaws and
authorized or ratified after a fair hearing either before the
executive board or before such other body as may be provided in
accordance with its constitution or bylaws shall be presumed valid
for a period of eighteen months from the date of its establishment
and shall not be subject to attack during such period except upon
clear and convincing proof that the trusteeship was not established
or maintained in good faith for a purpose allowable under section
302. After the expiration of eighteen months the trusteeship shall
be presumed invalid in any such proceeding and its discontinuance
shall be decreed unless the labor organization shall show by clear
and convincing proof that the continuation of the trusteeship is
necessary for a purpose allowable under section 302. In the latter
event the court may dismiss the complaint or retain jurisdiction of
the cause on such conditions and for such period as it deems
appropriate.
§305. Report to Congress (29 U.S.C.
§465).
The Secretary shall submit to the Congress at the expiration of
three years from the date of enactment of this Act a report upon
the operation of this title.
§306. Complaint by Secretary (29 U.S.C. §466).
The rights and remedies provided by this title shall be in
addition to any and all other rights and remedies at law or in
equity: Provided, That upon the filing of a complaint by
the Secretary the jurisdiction of the district court over such
trusteeship shall be exclusive and the final judgment shall be
res judicata.
TITLE IV - ELECTIONS
§401. Terms of Office; Election Procedures (29 U.S.C. §481).
(a) Every national or
international labor organization, except a federation of national
or international labor organizations, shall elect its officers not
less often than once every five years either by secret ballot among
the members in good standing or at a convention of delegates chosen
by secret ballot.
(b) Every local labor
organization shall elect its officers not less often than once
every three years by secret ballot among the members in good
standing.
(c) Every national or
international labor organization, except a federation of national
or international labor organizations, and every local labor
organization, and its officers, shall be under a duty, enforceable
at the suit of any bona fide candidate for office in such labor
organization in the district court of the United States in which
such labor organization maintains its principal office, to comply
with all reasonable requests of any candidate to distribute by mail
or otherwise at the candidate's expense campaign literature in aid
of such person's candidacy to all members in good standing of such
labor organization and to refrain fromdiscrimination in favor of
or against any candidate with respect to the use of lists of
members, and whenever such labor organizations or its officers
authorize the distribution by mail or otherwise to members of
campaign literature on behalf of any candidate or of the labor
organization itself with reference to such election, similar
distribution at the request of any other bona fide candidate shall
be made by such labor organization and its officers, with equal
treatment as to the expense of such distribution. Every bona fide
candidate shall have the right, once within 30 days prior to an
election of a labor organization in which he is a candidate, to
inspect a list containing the names and last known addresses of all
members of the labor organization who are subject to a collective
bargaining agreement requiring membership therein as a condition of
employment, which list shall be maintained and kept at the
principal office of such labor organization by a designated
official thereof. Adequate safeguards to insure a fair election
shall be provided, including the right of any candidate to have an
observer at the polls and at the counting of the ballots.
(d) Officers of
intermediate bodies, such as general committees, system boards,
joint boards, or joint councils, shall be elected not less often
than once every four years by secret ballot among the members in
good standing or by labor organization officers representative of such members
who have been elected by secret ballot.
(e) In any election
required by this section which is to be held by secret ballot a
reasonable opportunity shall be given for the nomination of
candidates and every member in good standing shall be eligible to
be a candidate and to hold office (subject to section 504 and to
reasonable qualifications uniformly imposed) and shall have the
right to vote for or otherwise support the candidate or candidates
of his choice, without being subject to penalty, discipline, or
improper interference or reprisal of any kind by such organization
or any member thereof. Not less than fifteen days prior to the
election notice thereof shall be mailed to each member at his last
known home address. Each member in good standing shall be entitled
to one vote. No member whose dues have been withheld by his
employer for payment to such organization pursuant to his voluntary
authorization provided for in a collective bargaining agreement
shall be declared ineligible to vote or be a candidate for office
in such organization by reason of alleged delay or default in the
payment of dues. The votes cast by members of each local labor
organization shall be counted, and the results published,
separately. The election officials designated in the constitution
and bylaws or the secretary, if no other official is designated,
shall preserve for one year the ballots and all other records
pertaining to the election. The election shall be conducted in
accordance with the constitution and bylaws of such organization
insofar as they are not inconsistent with the provisions of this
title.
(f) When officers are
chosen by a convention of delegates elected by secret ballot, the
convention shall be conducted in accordance with the constitution
and bylaws of the labor organization insofar as they are not
inconsistent with the provisions of this title. The officials
designated in the constitution and bylaws or the secretary, if no
other is designated, shall preserve for one year the credentials of
the delegates and all minutes and other records of the convention
pertaining to the election of officers.
(g) No moneys
received by any labor organization by way of dues, assessment, or
similar levy, and no moneys of an employer shall be contributed or
applied to promote the candidacy of any person in an election
subject to the provisions of this title. Such moneys of a labor
organization may be utilized for notices, factual statements of
issues not involving candidates, and other expenses necessary for
the holding of an election.
(h) If the Secretary,
upon application of any member of a local labor organization, finds
after hearing in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act
that the constitution and bylaws of such labor organization do not
provide an adequate procedure for the removal of an elected officer
guilty of serious misconduct, such officer may be removed, for
cause shown and after notice and hearing, by the members in good
standing voting in a secret ballot conducted by the officers of
such labor organization in accordance with its constitution and
bylaws insofar as they are not inconsistent with the provisions of
this title.
( i) The Secretary shall promulgate rules and
regulations prescribing minimum standards and procedures for
determining the adequacy of the removal procedures to which
reference is made in subsection (h).
§402. Enforcement (29 U.S.C. §482).
(a) A member of a
labor organization
(a)(1) who has exhausted
the remedies available under the constitution and bylaws of such
organization and of any parent body, or
(a)(2) who has
invoked such available remedies without obtaining a final decision
within three calendar months after their invocation, may file a
complaint with the Secretary within one calendar month thereafter
alleging the violation of any provision of section 401 (including
violation of the constitution and bylaws of the labor organization
pertaining to the election and removal of officers). The challenged
election shall be presumed valid pending a final decision thereon
(as hereinafter provided) and in the interim the affairs of the
organization shall be conducted by the officers elected or in such
other manner as its constitution and bylaws may provide.
(b) The Secretary
shall investigate such complaint and, if he finds probable cause to
believe that a violation of this title has occurred and has not
been remedied, he shall, within sixty days after the filing of such
complaint, bring a civil action against the labor organization as
an entity in the district court of the United States in which such
labor organization maintains its principal office to set aside the
invalid election, if any, and to direct the conduct of an election
or hearing and vote upon the removal of officers under the
supervision of the Secretary and in accordance with the provisions
of this title and such rules and regulations as the Secretary may
prescribe. The court shall have power to take such action as it
deems proper to preserve the assets of the labor organization.
(c) If, upon a
preponderance of the evidence after a trial upon the merits, the
court finds
(c)(1) that an election
has not been held within the time prescribed by §401, or
(c)(2) that the
violation of §401 may have affected the outcome of an election, the
court shall declare the election, if any, to be void and direct the
conduct of a new election under supervision of the Secretary and,
so far as lawful and practicable, in conformity with the
constitution and bylaws of the labor organization. The Secretary
shall promptly certify to the court the names of the persons
elected, and the court shall thereupon enter a decree declaring
such persons to be the officers of the labor organization. If the
proceeding is for the removal of officers pursuant to subsection
(h) of §401, the Secretary shall certify the results of the vote
and the court shall enter a decree declaring whether such persons
have been removed as officers of the labor organization.
(d) An order
directing an election, dismissing a complaint, or designating
elected officers of a labor organization shall be appealable in the same manner as the final
judgment in a civil action, but an order directing an election
shall not be stayed pending appeal.
§403. Application of Other Laws (29 U.S.C. §483).
No labor organization shall be required by law to conduct
elections of officers with greater frequency or in a different form
or manner than is required by its own constitution or bylaws,
except as otherwise provided by this title. Existing rights and
remedies to enforce the constitution and bylaws of a labor
organization with respect to elections prior to the conduct thereof
shall not be affected by the provisions of this title. The remedy
provided by this title for challenging an election already
conducted shall be exclusive.
§404. Effective Date (29 U.S.C.
§484).
The provisions of this title shall become applicable
(1) ninety days after the date of enactment of this Act in the
case of a labor organization whose constitution and bylaws can
lawfully be modified or amended by action of its constitutional
officers or governing body, or
(2) where
such modification can only be made by a constitutional convention
of the labor organization, not later than the next constitutional
convention of such labor organization after the date of enactment
of this Act, or one year after such date, whichever is sooner. If
no such convention is held within such one-year period, the
executive board or similar governing body empowered to act for such
labor organization between conventions is empowered to make such
interim constitutional changes as are necessary to carry out the
provisions of this title.
TITLE V-SAFEGUARDS FOR LABOR ORGANIZATIONS
§501. Fiduciary Responsibility of
Officers of Labor Organizations (29 U.S.C. §501).
(a) The officers,
agents, shop stewards, and other representatives of a labor
organization occupy positions of trust in relation to such
organization and its members as a group. It is, therefore, the duty
of each such person, taking into account the special problems and
functions of a labor organization, to hold its money and property
solely for the benefit of the organization and its members and to
manage, invest, and expend the same in accordance with its
constitution and bylaws and any resolutions of the governing bodies
adopted thereunder, to refrain from
dealing with such organization as an adverse party or in behalf of
an adverse party in any matter connected with his duties and from
holding or acquiring any pecuniary or personal interest which
conflicts with the interests of such organization, and to account
to the organization for any profit received by him in whatever
capacity in connection with transactions conducted by him or under
his direction on behalf of the organization. A general exculpatory
provision in the constitution and bylaws of such a labor
organization or a general exculpatory resolution of a governing
body purporting to relieve any such person of liability for breach
of the duties declared by this section shall be void as against
public policy.
(b) When any officer,
agent, shop steward, or representative of any labor organization is
alleged to have violated the duties declared in subsection (a) and
the labor organization or its governing board or officers refuse or
fail to sue or recover damages or secure an accounting or other
appropriate relief within a reasonable time after being requested
to do so by any member of the labor organization, such member may
sue such officer, agent, shop steward, or representative in any
district court of the United States or in any State court of
competent jurisdiction to recover damages or secure an accounting or other
appropriate relief for the benefit of the labor organization. No
such proceeding shall be brought except upon leave of the court
obtained upon verified application and for good cause shown which
application may be made ex parte. The
trial judge may allot a reasonable part of the recovery in any
action under this subsection to pay the fees of counsel prosecuting
the suit at the instance of the member of the labor organization
and to compensate such member for any expenses necessarily paid or
incurred by him in connection with the litigation.
(c) Any person who embezzles, steals, or unlawfully and
willfully abstracts or converts to his own use, or the use of
another, any of the moneys, funds, securities, property, or other
assets of a labor organization of which he is an officer, or by
which he is employed, directly or indirectly, shall be fined not
more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than five years, or
both.
§502. Bonding (29 U.S.C. §502).
(a )8 Every
officer, agent, shop steward, or other representative or employee
of any labor organization (other than a labor organization whose
property and annual financial receipts do not exceed $5,000 in
value), or of a trust in which a labor organization is interested,
who handles funds or other property thereof shall be bonded to
provide protection against loss by reason of acts of fraud or
dishonesty on his part directly or through connivance with others.
The bond of each such person shall be fixed at the beginning of the
organization's fiscal year and shall be in an amount not less than
10 per centum of the funds handled by him and his predecessor or
predecessors, if any, during the preceding fiscal year, but in no
case more than $500,000. If the labor organization or the trust in
which a labor organization is interested does not have a preceding
fiscal year, the amount of the bond shall be, in the case of a
local labor organization, not less than $1,000, and in the case of
any other labor organization or of a trust in which a labor
organization is interested, not less than $10,000. Such bonds shall
be individual or schedule in form, and shall have a corporate
surety company as surety thereon. Any person who is not covered by
such bonds shall not be permitted to receive, handle, disburse, or
otherwise exercise custody or control of the funds or other
property of a labor organization or of a trust in which a labor
organization is interested. No such bond shall be placed through an
agent or broker or with a surety company in which any labor
organization or any officer, agent, shop steward, or other
representative of a labor organization has any direct or indirect
interest. Such surety company shall be a corporate surety which
holds a grant of authority from the Secretary of the Treasury under
the Act of July 30, 1947 (6 U.S.C.
6-13), as an acceptable surety on Federal bonds: Provided, That
when in the opinion of the Secretary a labor organization has made
other bonding arrangements which would provide the protection
required by this section at comparable cost or less, he may exempt
such labor organization from placing a bond through a surety
company holding such grant of authority.
(b) Any person who willfully violates this section shall be
fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned for not more than one
year, or both.
§503. Making of Loans; Payment of Fines (29 U.S.C. §503).
(a) No labor organization shall make directly or indirectly any
loan or loans to any officer or employee of such organization which
results in a total indebtedness on the part of such officer or
employee to the labor organization in excess of $2,000.
(b) No labor organization or employer shall directly or
indirectly pay the fine of any officer or employee convicted of any
willful violation of this Act.
(c) Any person who willfully violates this section shall be
fined not more than $5,000 or imprisoned for not more than one
year, or both.
§504. Prohibition Against Certain Persons Holding
Office (29 U.S.C. §504).
(a) No person who is
or has been a member of the Communist Party9 or who has
been convicted of, or served any part of a prison term resulting
from his conviction of, robbery, bribery, extortion, embezzlement,
grand larceny, burglary, arson, violation of narcotics laws,
murder, rape, assault with intent to kill, assault which inflicts
grievous bodily injury, or a violation of title II or III of this
Act,10 any felony involving abuse or misuse of such
person's position or employment in a labor organization or employee
benefit plan to seek or obtain an illegal gain at the expense of
the members of the labor organization or the beneficiaries of the
employee benefit plan, or conspiracy to commit any such crimes or
attempt to commit any such crimes, or a crime in which any of the
foregoing crimes is an element, shall serve or be permitted to
serve
(a)(1) as a consultant or
adviser to any labor organization,
(a)(2) as an
officer, director, trustee, member of any executive board or
similar governing body, business agent, manager, organizer,
employee, or representative in any capacity of any labor
organization,
(a)(3) as a
labor relations consultant or adviser to a person engaged in an
industry or activity affecting commerce, or as an officer,
director, agent, or employee of any group or association of
employers dealing with any labor organization, or in a position
having specific collective bargaining authority or direct
responsibility in the area of labor-management relations in any
corporation or association engaged in an industry or activity
affecting commerce, or
(a)(4) in a
position which entitles its occupant to a share of the proceeds of,
or as an officer or executive or administrative employee of, any
entity whose activities are in whole or substantial part devoted to
providing goods or services to any labor organization, or
(a)(5) in any
capacity, other than in his capacity as a member of such labor
organization, that involves decisionmaking authority concerning, or decisionmaking authority over, or custody of,
or control of the moneys, funds, assets, or property of any labor
organization, during or for the period of thirteen years after such
conviction or after the end of such imprisonment, whichever is
later, unless the sentencing court on the motion of the person
convicted sets a lesser period of at least three years after such
conviction or after the end of such imprisonment, whichever is
later, or unless prior to the end of such period, in the case of a
person so convicted or imprisoned,
(a)(5)(A) his citizenship rights,
having been revoked as a result of such conviction, have been fully
restored, or
(a)(5)(B) if the offense is a Federal offense, the sentencing
judge or, if the offense is a State or local offense, the United
States district court for the district in which the offense was
committed, pursuant to sentencing guidelines and policy statements
under section 994(a) of title 28, United States Code, determines
that such person's service in any capacity referred to in clauses
(1) through (5) would not be contrary to the purposes of this Act.
Prior to making any such determination the court shall hold a
hearing and shall give notice of such proceeding by certified mail
to the Secretary of Labor and to State, county, and Federal
prosecuting officials in the jurisdiction or jurisdictions in which
such person was convicted. The court's determination in any such
proceeding shall be final. No person shall knowingly hire, retain,
employ, or otherwise place any other person to serve in any
capacity in violation of this subsection.
(b) Any person who
willfully violates this section shall be fined not more than
$10,000 or imprisoned for not more than five years, or both.
(c) For the purpose
of this section
(c)(1) A person
shall be deemed to have been "convicted" and under the disability
of "conviction" from the date of the judgment of the trial court,
regardless of whether that judgment remains under appeal.
(c)(2) A period
of parole shall not be considered as part of a period of
imprisonment.
(d) Whenever any
person
(d)(1) by operation of
this section, has been barred from office or other position in a
labor organization as a result of a conviction, and
(d)(2) has
filed an appeal of that conviction, any salary which would be
otherwise due such person by virtue of such office or position,
shall be placed in escrow by the individual employer or
organization responsible for payment of such salary. Payment of
such salary into escrow shall continue for the duration of the
appeal or for the period of time during which such salary would be
otherwise due, whichever period is shorter. Upon the final reversal
of such person's conviction on appeal, the amounts in escrow shall
be paid to such person. Upon the final sustaining of such person's
conviction on appeal, the amounts in escrow shall be returned to
the individual employer or organization responsible for payments of
those amounts. Upon final reversal of such person's conviction,
such person shall no longer be barred by this statute from assuming
any position from which such person was previously barred.
§505. Amendment to Section 302,
Labor Management Relations Act, 1947.
Subsections (a), (b), and (c) of section 302 of the Labor
Management Relations Act, 1947, as amended, are amended to read as
follows:
11(§302.) (a) It shall be
unlawful for any employer or association of employers or any person
who acts as a labor relations expert, adviser, or consultant to an
employer or who acts in the interest of an employer to pay, lend,
or deliver, or agree to pay, lend, or deliver, any money or other
thing of value-
(a)(1) to
any representative of any of his employees who are employed in an
industry affecting commerce; or
(a)(2) to
any labor organization, or any officer or employee thereof, which
represents, seeks to represent, or would admit to membership, any
of the employees of such employer who are employed in an industry
affecting commerce; or
(a)(3) to any employee or group or committee of employees of
such employer employed in an industry affecting commerce in excess
of their normal compensation for the purpose of causing such
employee or group or committee directly or indirectly to influence
any other employees in the exercise of the right to organize and
bargain collectively through representatives of their own choosing;
or
(a)(4) to any officer or employee of a labor organization
engaged in an industry affecting commerce with intent to influence
him in respect to any of his actions, decisions, or duties as a
representative of employees or as such officer or employee of such
labor organization.
(b)(1) It shall be unlawful for any person to request, demand,
receive, or accept, or agree to receive or accept, any payment,
loan, or delivery of any money or other thing of value prohibited
by subsection (a).
(b)(2) It shall be unlawful for any labor organization, or for
any person acting as an officer, agent, representative, or employee
of such labor organization, to demand or accept from the operator
of any motor vehicle (as defined in section 10101 of Title
49)12 employed in the transportation of property in
commerce, or the employer of any such operator, any money or other
thing of value payable to such organization or to an officer,
agent, representative or employee thereof as a fee or charge for
the unloading, or in connection with the unloading, of the cargo of
such vehicle: Provided, That nothing in this paragraph shall be
construed to make unlawful any payment by an employer to any of his
employees as compensation for their services as employees.
(c) The provisions of this section shall not be applicable
(c)(1) in respect to any money or other thing of value payable
by an employer to any of his employees whose established duties
include acting openly for such employer in matters of labor
relations or personnel administration or to any representative of
his employees, or to any officer or employee of a labor
organization, who is also an employee or former employee of such
employer, as compensation for, or by reason of, his service as an
employee of such employer;
(c)(2) with respect to the payment or delivery of any money or
other thing of value in satisfaction of a judgment of any court or
a decision or award of an arbitrator or impartial chairman or in
compromise, adjustment, settlement, or release of any claim,
complaint, grievance, or dispute in the absence of fraud or
duress;
(c)(3) with respect to the sale or purchase of
an article or commodity at the prevailing market price in the
regular course of business;
(c)(4) with respect to money deducted from the wages of
employees in payment of membership dues in a labor organization:
Provided, That the employer has received from each employee, on
whose account such deductions are made, a written assignment which
shall not be irrevocable for a period of more than one year, or
beyond the termination date of the applicable collective agreement,
whichever occurs sooner;
(c)(5) with respect to money or other thing of value paid to a
trust fund established by such representative, for the sole and
exclusive benefit of the employees of such employer, and their
families and dependents (or of such employees, families, and
dependents jointly with the employees of other employers making
similar payments, and their families and dependents): Provided,
That
(c)(5)(A) such payments are held in trust for the purpose of
paying, either from principal or income or both, for the benefit of
employees, their families and dependents, for medical or hospital
care, pensions on retirement or death of employees, compensation
for injuries or illness resulting from occupational activity or
insurance to provide any of the foregoing, or unemployment benefits
or life insurance, disability and sickness insurance, or accident
insurance;
(c)(5)(B) the detailed basis on which such payments are to be
made is specified in a written agreement with the employer, and
employees and employers are equally represented in the
administration of such fund, together with such neutral persons as
the representatives of the employers and the representatives of
employees may agree upon and in theevent the employer and employee
groups deadlock on the administration of such fund and there are no
neutral persons empowered to break such deadlock, such agreement
provides that the two groups shall agree on an impartial umpire to
decide such dispute, or in event of their failure to agree within a
reasonable length of time, an impartial umpire to decide such
dispute shall, on petition of either group, be appointed by the
district court of the United States for the district where the
trust fund has its principal office, and shall also contain
provisions for an annual audit of the trust fund, a statement of
the results of which shall be available for inspection by
interested persons at the principal office of the trust fund and at
such other places as may be designated in such written agreement;
and
(c)(5)(C) such payments as are intended to be used for the
purpose of providing pensions or annuities for employees are made
to a separate trust which provides that the funds held therein
cannot be used for any purpose other than paying such pensions or
annuities;
(c)(6) with respect to money or other thing of value paid by any
employer to a trust fund established by such representative for the
purpose of pooled vacation, holiday, severance or similar benefits,
or defraying costs of apprenticeship or other training programs:
Provided, That the requirements of clause (B) of the proviso to
clause (5) of this subsection shall apply to such trust funds;
(c)(7) with respect to money or other thing of value paid by any
employer to a pooled or individual trust fund established by such
representative for the purpose of
(c)(7)(A) scholarships for the benefit of
employees, their families, and dependents for study at educational
institutions,
(c)(7)(B) child care centers for preschool and
school age dependents of employees, or
(c)(7)(C) financial assistance for employee housing :13
Provided, That no labor organization or employer shall be required
to bargain on the establishment of any such trust fund, and refusal
to do so shall not constitute an unfair labor practice: Provided
further, That the requirements of clause (B) of the proviso to
clause (5) of this subsection shall apply to such trust funds;
(c)(8) with respect to money or any other thing of value paid by
any employer to a trust fund established by such representative for
the purpose of defraying the costs of legal services for employees,
their families, and dependents for counsel or plan of their choice:
Provided, That the requirements of clause (B) of the proviso to
clause (5) of this subsection shall apply to such trust funds:
Provided further, That no such legal services shall be
furnished:
(c)(8)(A) to initiate any proceeding directed
(c)(8)(A)( i) against any such
employer or its officers or agents except in workman's compensation
cases, or
(c)(8)(A)(ii) against such labor organization, or its
parent or subordinate bodies, or their officers or agents, or
(c)(8)(A)(iii) against any other employer or labor organization,
or their officers or agents, in any matter arising under the National Labor Relations
Act, as amended, or this Act; and
(c)(8)(B) in any proceeding where a labor organization would be
prohibited from defraying the costs of legal services by the
provisions of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of
1959; or
(c)(9) with respect to money or other things
of value paid by an employer to a plant, area or industrywide labor management committee
established for one or more of the purposes set forth in section
5(b)14 of the Labor Management Cooperation Act of
1978.15
[The remaining subsections, (d) through (g), of section 302 of
the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947, are found at 29 U.S.C.
186(d) through (g).]
TITLE VI -- MISCELLANEOUS PROVISIONS
§601. Investigations (29 U.S.C. §521).
(a) The Secretary shall have power when he believes it necessary
in order to determine whether any person has violated or is about
to violate any provision of this Act (except title I or amendments
made by this Act to other statutes) to make an investigation and in
connection therewith he may enter such places and inspect such
records and accounts and question such persons as he may deem
necessary to enable him to determine the facts relative thereto.
The Secretary may report to interested persons or officials
concerning the facts required to be shown in any report required by
this Act and concerning the reasons for failure or refusal to file
such a report or any other matter which he deems to be appropriate
as a result of such an investigation.
(b) For the purpose of any investigation provided for in this
Act, the provisions of sections 9 and 10 (relating to the
attendance of witnesses and the production of books, papers, and
documents) of the Federal Trade Commission Act of September 16,
1914, as amended (15 U.S.C. 49, 50),
are hereby made applicable to the jurisdiction, powers, and duties
of the Secretary or any officers designated by him.
§602. Extortionate Picketing (29 U.S.C. §522).
(a) It shall be unlawful to carry on picketing on or about the
premises of any employer for the purpose of, or as part of any
conspiracy or in furtherance of any plan or purpose for, the
personal profit or enrichment of any individual (except a bona fide
increase in wages or other employee benefits) by taking or
obtaining any money or other thing of value from such employer
against his will or with his consent.
(b) Any person who willfully violates this section shall be
fined not more than $10,000 or imprisoned not more than twenty
years, or both.
§603. Retention
of Rights Under Other Federal and State Laws (29 U.S.C. §523).
(a) Except as explicitly provided to the contrary, nothing in
this Act shall reduce or limit the responsibilities of any labor
organization or any officer, agent, shop steward, or other
representative of a labor organization, or of any trust in which a
labor organization is interested, under any other Federal law or
under the laws of any State, and, except as explicitly provided to
the contrary, nothing in this Act shall take away any right or bar
any remedy to which members of a labor organization are entitled
under such other Federal law or law of any State.
(b) Nothing contained in titles I, II, III, IV, V, or VI of this
Act shall be construed to supersede or impair or otherwise affect
the provisions of the Railway Labor Act, as amended, or any of the
obligations, rights, benefits, privileges, or immunities of any
carrier, employee, organization, representative, or person subject
thereto; nor shall anything contained in said titles (except
section 505) of this Act be construed to confer any rights,
privileges, immunities, or defenses upon employers, or to impair or
otherwise affect the rights of any person under the National Labor Relations
Act, as amended.
§604. Effect on State Laws (29 U.S.C. §524).
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to impair or diminish the
authority of any State to enact and enforce general criminal laws
with respect to robbery, bribery, extortion, embezzlement, grand
larceny, burglary, arson, violation of narcotics laws, murder,
rape, assault with intent to kill, or assault which inflicts
grievous bodily injury, or conspiracy to commit any of such
crimes.
§605. Service of Process (29 U.S.C. §525).
For the purposes of this Act, service of summons, subpena, or other legal process of a court of
the United States upon an officer or agent of a labor organization
in his capacity as such shall constitute service upon the labor
organization.
§606. Administrative Procedure
Act (29 U.S.C. §526).
The provisions of the Administrative Procedure Act shall be
applicable to the issuance, amendment, or rescission of any rules
or regulations or any adjudication, authorized or required pursuant
to the provisions of this Act.
§607. Other Agencies and
Departments (29 U.S.C. §527).
In order to avoid unnecessary expense and duplication of
functions among Government agencies, the Secretary may make such
arrangements or agreements for cooperation or mutual assistance in
the performance of his functions under this Act and the functions
of any such agency as he may find to be practicable and consistent
with law. The Secretary may utilize the facilities or services of
any department, agency, or establishment of the United States or of
any State or political subdivision of a State, including the
services of any of its employees, with the lawful consent of such
department, agency, or establishment; and each department, agency,
or establishment of the United States is authorized and directed to
cooperate with the Secretary and, to the extent permitted by law,
to provide such information and facilities as he may request for
his assistance in the performance of his functions under this Act.
The Attorney General or his representative shall receive from the
Secretary for appropriate action such evidence developed in the
performance of his functions under this Act as may be found to
warrant consideration for criminal prosecution under the provisions
of this Act or other Federal law.
§608. Criminal Contempt(29U.S.C. §528).
No person shall be punished for any criminal contempt allegedly
committed outside the immediate presence of the court in connection
with any civil action prosecuted by the Secretary or any other
person in any court of the United States under the provisions of
this Act unless the facts constituting such criminal contempt are
established by the verdict of the jury in a proceeding in the
district court of the United States, which jury shall be chosen and
empaneled in the manner prescribed by
the law governing trial juries in criminal prosecutions in the
district courts of the United States.
§609. Prohibition on Certain Discipline by Labor
Organization (29 U.S.C. §529).
It shall be unlawful for any labor organization, or any officer,
agent, shop steward, or other representative of a labor
organization, or any employee thereof to fine, suspend, expel, or
otherwise discipline any of its members for exercising any right to
which he is entitled under the provisions of this Act. The
provisions of section 102 shall be applicable in the enforcement of
this section.
§610. Deprivation of
Rights Under
Act by Violence (29 U.S.C. §530).
It shall be unlawful for any person through the use of force or
violence, or threat of the use of force or violence, to restrain,
coerce, or intimidate, or attempt to restrain, coerce, or
intimidate any member of a labor organization for the purpose of
interfering with or preventing the exercise of any right to which
he is entitled under the provisions of this Act. Any person who
willfully violates this section shall be fined not more than $1,000
or imprisoned for not more than one year, or both.
§611. Separability Provisions (29 U.S.C. §531).
If any provision of this Act, or the application of such
provision to any person or circumstances, shall be held invalid,
the remainder of this Act or the application of such provision to
persons or circumstances other than those as to which it is held
invalid, shall not be affected thereby.
TITLE VII -- AMENDMENTS TO THE LABOR MANAGEMENT
RELATIONS ACT, 1947, AS AMENDED
[The text of sections 701 through 707 is not included here.
However, the complete text of Title VII, Amendments to the Labor
Management Relations Act, 1947, As Amended, may be found in Public
Law 86-257.]
Endnotes
1This revised text has been prepared by the U.S.
Department of Labor.
2Section 320 of Public Law 95-598 (92 Stat. 2678),
Nov. 6, 1978, substituted "cases under Title 11 of the United
States Code" for "bankruptcy".
3Prior to amendment by section 2(a) of Public Law
89-216, the first sentence of section 205(a) read as follows: "§
205. ( a) The
contents of the reports and documents filed with the Secretary
pursuant to sections 201, 202, and 203 shall be public information,
and the Secretary may publish any information and data which he
obtains pursuant to the provisions of this title."
4Prior to amendment by section 2(b) of Public Law
89-216, section 205(b) read as follows: "(b) The Secretary shall by
regulation make reasonable provision for the inspection and
examination, on the request of any person, of the information and
data contained in any report or other document filed with him
pursuant to section 201, 202, or 203."
5Prior to amendment by section 2(c) of Public Law
89-216, the second sentence of section 205(c) read as follows: "The
Secretary shall make available without payment of a charge, or
require any person to furnish, to such State agency as is
designated by law or by the Governor of the State in which such
person has his principal place of business or headquarters upon
request of the Governor of such State, copies of any reports and
documents filed by such person with the Secretary pursuant to
section 201, 202, or 203, or of information and data contained
therein."
6Prior to amendment by section 2(d) of Public Law
89-216, section 207(b) read as follows: "(b) Each person required
to file a report under section 201(b), 202, 203(a), or the second
sentence of 203(b) shall file such report within ninety days after
the end of each of its fiscal years; except that where such person
is subject to section 201(b), 202, 203(a), or the second section of
203(b), as the case may be, for only a portion of such a fiscal
year (because the date of enactment of this Act occurs during such
person's fiscal year or such person becomes subject to this Act
during its fiscal year) such person may consider that portion as
the entire fiscal year in making such report."
7Section 211 was added by section 3 of Public Law
99-216 (79 Stat. 888); section 111(a )(2)(D) of Public Law 93-406 (88 Stat.
852), Sept. 2, 1974, substituted "Employee Retirement Income
Security Act of 1974" for "Welfare and Pension Plans Disclosure
Act".
8Prior to amendment by section 1 of Public Law
89-216, the first sentence of section 502(a) read as follows: "§
502(a). Every officer, agent, shop steward, or other representative
or employee of any labor organization (other than a labor
organization whose property and annual financial receipts do not
exceed $5,000 in value), or of a trust in which a labor
organization is interested, who handles funds or other property
thereof shall be bonded for the faithful discharge of his duties."
Section 1 of Public Law 89-216 also added the proviso at the end of
section 502(a).
9The U.S. Supreme Court, on June 7, 1965, held
unconstitutional as a bill of attainder the section 504 provision
which imposes criminal sanctions on Communist Party members for
holding union office (U.S. v. Brown, 381 U.S. 437, 85 S. Ct.
1707).
10The following text shows changes made by Public Law
98-473, Oct. 12, 1984, 98 Stat. 2031, 2133, 2134 and by Public Law
100-182, Dec. 7, 1987, 101 Stat. 1266, 1269. Public Law 99-217,
Dec. 26, 1985, 99 Stat. 1728, changed the effective date for the
amendment made by Public Law 98-473, 98 Stat. 2031, from Nov. 1,
1986, to Nov. 1, 1987; Public Law 100-182, 101 Stat. 1266, made
that amendment applicable only to crimes committed after Nov. 1,
1987.
11This reprinted text of subsections (a), (b), and
(c) of section 302 of the Labor Management Relations Act, 1947,
does not reflect the amended text as originally found in the
Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959. It does,
however, reflect the legislative changes which have occurred to
those subsections from 1959 through October 1991.
12In subsection (b)(2) of section 302 of the Labor
Management Relations Act, 1947, the phrase "section 10101 of Title
49" was substituted for the phrase "part II of the Interstate
Commerce Act [49 U.S.C. 301 et. seq.]" by section 3(b) of Public
Law 95-473, October 17, 1978 .
13Subsection (c)(7)(C) of section 302 of the Labor
Management Relations Act, 1947, was added by section 1 of Public
Law 101-273, April 18, l990.
14Section 5(b) of the Labor Management Cooperation
Act of 1978 probably means section 6(b) of Public Law 95-524 (92
Stat. 2020; 29 U.S.C. 175a note).
15 Subsection (b)(7) of section 302 of the Labor
Management Relations Act, 1947 was added by Public Law 91-86, Oct.
14, 1969; subsection (b)(8) by Public Law 93-95, Aug. 15, 1973; and
subsection (b)(9) by section 6(d) of Public Law 95-524, Oct. 27,
1978.