U.S. Labor Department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards Caps 8-Year Run with Strong Results for 2008

Source: U.S. Department of Labor (DOL)

Enforcement agency tops 1,000 indictments on the decade, with 929 convictions and more than $93 million in restitution

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) today announced its criminal enforcement data for December 2008. During the month, OLMS obtained six convictions and nine indictments, and payments or orders of restitution totaled more than $57,700. The office's December results bring its totals for fiscal year 2009, which began on October 1, 2008, to 31 indictments, 24 convictions and payments or orders of restitution of $1,585,872. The bulk of the cases involved the embezzlement of union funds. In addition, OLMS' cumulative enforcement results from the beginning of fiscal year 2001 include 1,004 indictments, 929 convictions, and payments or orders of restitution of $93,110,576.

"OLMS has a vital mission to protect union members from financial abuses and other crimes by those who serve in positions of trust. For the last eight years, we have improved financial transparency and vigorously pursued those who abuse their union offices, leading to more than 1,000 indictments and more than 900 convictions," said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Labor-Management Standards Don Todd. "OLMS' enforcement efforts speak to the dedication and commitment of our agency's outstanding investigators and staff. Their efforts ultimately benefit union members, who might otherwise find no recourse when abuses occur."

OLMS is the federal law enforcement agency responsible for administering most provisions of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA). The agency's criminal enforcement program includes investigations of embezzlement from labor organizations, extortionate picketing, deprivation of union members' rights by force or violence, and fraud in union officer elections. The agency's civil program receives and publicly discloses unions' annual financial reports, conducts compliance audits of labor unions and seeks civil remedies for violations of officer election procedures. In certain cases, OLMS conducts joint investigations with other Labor Department agencies, including the Employee Benefits Security Administration and the Office of Inspector General, as well as other law enforcement agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

OLMS' public disclosure Web site at www.unionreports.gov contains union financial reports, conflict-of-interest disclosure reports, copies of collective bargaining agreements and other data. Other information, including synopses of OLMS enforcement actions, is available at www.olms.dol.gov.

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