S. District Court Enjoins Bush Administration’s New Union Financial Disclosure Requirements
AFL-CIO gets green light to conduct 2004 election activities without providing meaningful disclosure
FOR RELEASE: January 2, 2004
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Washington, D.C. (January 2, 2004) – The U.S. District Court ruled on New Year's Eve to block the implementation of the Bush Administration's new union financial regulations that were scheduled to go into effect on January 1, 2004.
The new disclosure requirements, which National Right to Work Foundation officials have argued should have been much more stringent, would nevertheless have provided more information than in the past to rank-and-file union employees as to how their compulsory union dues are spent.
The Foundation filed as amicus curiae in defense of the regulations, arguing that there is not an undue burden on unions to comply, and that the regulations are greatly needed to help combat rampant union corruption and financial malfeasance.
U.S. District Court Judge Gladys Kessler in Washington, DC, granted the AFL-CIO's motion for a preliminary injunction, thereby effectively halting implementation during the 2004 reporting year. However, the court will decide the ultimate fate of the regulations at a later time.
"Judge Kessler gave the AFL-CIO what it wanted -- the ability to conduct an all-out campaign to defeat President Bush and Congressional Republicans without having to reveal to rank-and-file workers the depth and breadth of the political activities funded by their compulsory union dues," said Stefan Gleason, Vice President of the National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation.
"For the past two years, the AFL-CIO's strategy has been to run the clock in order to stall the implementation of this much-needed reform until such time as a new president would be in place to overturn it."
The National Right to Work Legal Defense Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization providing free legal aid to employees whose human or civil rights have been violated by compulsory unionism abuses. The Foundation, which can be contacted toll-free at 1-800-336-3600, is assisting thousands of employees in close to 300 cases nationwide. |
