US Department of Labor announces relaunch of assistance initiative to ensure employers, others comply with labor-management reporting, disclosures

WASHINGTON, DC – The U.S. Department of Labor announced today that its Office of Labor-Management Standards has relaunched the Persuader Reporting Orientation Program, a compliance assistance initiative to inform employers and their representatives about potential reporting obligations under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act. The PROP initiative was in effect previously from 2011 to 2016.

The LMRDA requires employers and labor relations consultants to file reports with OLMS on agreements or arrangements to persuade employees concerning their rights to organize and bargain collectively. Employers and consultants must also report agreements or arrangements to supply the employer with certain information concerning the activities of employees or a labor organization in connection with a labor dispute involving such employer. These reports seek to inform workers better in making determinations regarding the exercise of their rights to organize and bargain collectively.

“The time before and during a National Labor Relations Board-supervised election is typically when an employer and a labor relations consultant enter into an arrangement to persuade employees about their rights to organize and bargaining collectively,” said the Director of the Office of Labor-Management Standards Jeffrey Freund. “Legally required reports on these activities can inform workers that the source of the information received is part of an anti-union campaign managed by an outsider.”

“From 2011 to 2016, the Persuader Reporting Orientation Program served as an effective way to advise employers and their consultants about their obligations under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act to file these reports,” Freund continued. “The revival of this program should result in more timely reporting by employers and consultants which, in turn, will provide workers with information needed to better assess the merits of the arguments directed at them, and make an informed choice about how they exercise their rights.”

PROP enables OLMS to contact employers involved in representation elections – and any other parties that have notified the National Labor Relations Board of their status as representatives for such employers – to inform them of potential LMRDA reporting requirements. OLMS will provide information on where to locate reporting forms and instructions, and how to contact OLMS to ask questions or receive additional information. OLMS will also provide a fact sheet on employer-consultant agreements.

OLMS administers and enforces provisions of the LMRDA. The LMRDA promotes union democracy and financial integrity in private sector labor unions, transparency for labor unions and their officials and transparency for employers and their labor relations consultants and others. Report labor-management fraud and other criminal activity email to OLMS-Public@dol.gov, to the OLMS National Office at 202-693-0143, or to your local OLMS field office.