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Labor Dept. Accused of Union Sabotage
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The findings drew sharp criticism of the standards office from union backers in Congress.
"It's unconscionable that laws meant to protect employees have been turned into tools for harassing them," said Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
The proposed conflict-of-interest reporting form for union leaders would be expanded Jan. 1 from three to nine pages, said Bill Samuel, director of legislation for the AFL-CIO, which represents 10 million unionized workers.
The AFL-CIO estimates that 100,000 more union members would be newly required to submit the form, which he said classifies as union "leaders" even shop stewards who volunteer to serve on health and safety committees or to negotiate labor contracts.
Those members and their spouses and children would have to confirm, for example, whether lending institutions holding their mortgages or car loans do significant business with their union or another company represented by the same union, he said.
Samuel said the AFL-CIO has appealed to Congress to block the coming requirements.
Most workers don't have the time or ability to satisfy the requirements, Samuel said.
