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A History Of Violations
Virtually every U.S. labor union faces allegations of violating labor law. Consider the number of charges filed against these unions between 1998 and 2004:
Source: data supplied by the Bureau of National Affairs
"When most people think of violations of labor law, they think first of “Big Business.” But employees, employers, and labor organizations file thousands of charges each year – called Unfair Labor Practices – alleging violations of labor law by union officials. Virtually every U.S. labor union faces allegations of violating labor law. Consider the number of charges filed against these unions between 1998 and 2004:
| United Food and Commercial Workers | 2,161 |
| Teamsters | 6,909 |
| Service Employees International Union | 3,910 |
| Steelworkers | 1,912 |
Source: data supplied by the Bureau of National Affairs
The National Labor Relations Board's annual report for fiscal year 2005 included the number of Unfair Labor Practices alleged against employers and unions. Once again, union officials faced a disproportionately high number of allegations of wrongdoing, when compared to employers. The worst part: The vast majority of allegations said that members were the ones hurt by the union officials that are supposed to protect them.
- The NLRB reported in 2005 that:
- Unions faced a total of 6,381 allegations
- 82% of charges against unions alleged illegal restraint and coercion of employees (by comparison, the leading allegation against employers — at 53% — was for refusal to bargain)
- 594 charges were for illegal union discrimination against employees
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The NLRB reported in 2004 that:
- Unions faced a total of 6,917 allegations of wrongdoing
- 80% of those charges were filed by individuals
- Unions filed more than 100 charges against other unions
- 81% of charges alleged illegal restraint and coercion of employees
More than 600 charges alleged illegal discrimination against employees, an increase of about 6 percent from 2003.