§431 Report of Labor Organizations

Summary

Labor organizations must adopt rules called a constitution and bylaws and file a copy with the Secretary. They must also file a report signed by the president and secretary (or the main officers) that gives the union’s name and mailing address (and any main office or records address), the names and titles of its officers, any initiation or work‑permit fees, regular dues or other periodic payments, and clear statements or references about rules for membership, assessments, benefit plans, how money is spent and audited, how meetings are called, how officers and representatives are chosen (and how they were chosen), discipline or removal of officers, fines or expulsions of members (including notice, hearings, and appeals), and how bargaining, contract ratification, strikes, and work permits are authorized. Any change to this information must be reported to the Secretary when the union files its annual financial report. Every labor organization must file an annual financial report signed by its president and treasurer (or the main officers) showing the union’s financial condition for the previous fiscal year. The report must show assets and liabilities at the start and end of the year; all receipts and their sources; pay and reimbursements to each officer and to any employee who got more than $10,000 in total from the union and its affiliates; loans over $250 to any officer, employee, or member with purpose, security, and repayment terms; loans to businesses with the same details; and other payments, in the categories the Secretary requires. The union must make this information available to all members, and any member with a good reason may go to a state or federal court where the union’s main office is located to ask to inspect books and records to check the report. The court may also order the union to pay a reasonable attorney’s fee and the costs of the action.