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Elizabeth Powell |
Financial Issues for Local and State Union Officers:
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Department of Labor Rules
For Election of Union Officers
Title IV of the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959, as amended [PDF], sets forth rules that every union must follow when conducting elections of local officers and elections of delegates to state conventions where officers will be elected.
DOL Resources for Local Election Committees
The U.S. Department of Labor has published several guides to help local election committees comply with the rules when supervising local elections:
APWU Resources for Candidates and Election Committee Members
Certification of Candidacy and LMRDA Section 504 Certification
[PDF]
This two-page
form satisfies the DOL requirement that candidates certify
they have not been found guilty of a felony that would prohibit
them from holding a union office. The form is also used for
candidates to certify their acceptance of nomination and allow
thier names to appear on a local ballot, and to affirm that
they are in compliance with the APWU National Constitution
and Bylaws.
Statement Concerning Postal Union
Political Literature on Union Bulletin Boards
Under federal law, it is illegal to use union property to campaign for union office. This prohibition applies to using union bulletin boards, copy machines, and all other union property for campaign purposes, and it is strictly enforced by the U.S. Department of Labor.
The APWU national Secretary-Treasurers’ office advises local election committees to not permit campaign literature to be posted on union bulletin boards. Union bulletin boards are where members who cannot attend meetings get the “word” about their union and what their representatives are doing. Since campaign literature cannot be censored, locals risk having offensive or divisive campaign material posted on their bulletin boards. Union bulletin boards should be for official union business, not as places for candidates to disparage one another.
However, if a local union decides to allow posting of political literature on its bulletin boards, it must make them available to all candidates on an equal basis. This means that all candidates for the office must be informed of the availability of the bulletin boards for campaign purposes and given a fair and equal opportunity to have their literature posted.