spacer
Blog

SEIU in Oregon: For the love of the…?
Gov. Ted Kulongoski of Oregon has nominated Multnomah County Chairman Ted Wheeler to the position of State Treasurer, following the death of Ben Westlund on Sunday. Want to know why Wheeler, and not another state representative Greg Macpherson, got the nod? According to The Oregonian: “Kulongoski acknowledged that “part of it” was the opposition that Macpherson would [more...]

Posted Thu, 11 Mar 2010 .

Transparent Hypocrisy at the DOL
This morning the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) emailed me asking for comments and ideas “to help increase transparency, collaboration, and participation within DOL as part of the White House Open Government Initiative.” The OLMS is the same agency that just rescinded a regulation requiring transparency in union slush funds (using the “T-1″ form). In fact, [more...]

Posted Thu, 11 Mar 2010 .

 Read more at LaborPains.org

Center for Union Facts Database

The Center for Union Facts database contains more than 3 million facts about the American labor movement. From the smallest local to the largest international union, we've compiled the most comprehensive database of information available.

The database is organized to provide easy access to information about the 125 international unions tracked by the U.S. Department of Labor. Other labor organization entities — such as locals, councils, lodges, etc. — are listed under those organizations.

Other independent labor organizations are also covered by our database. They can be found using the search function on this page.

Database Information
The Center for Union Facts database is built on information released under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) from a number of federal agencies, including:

  • The Department of Labor
  • The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
  • The Federal Election Commission
  • The Internal Revenue Service
  • The National Labor Relations Board
  • The United States Senate

The majority of information in our database is self-reported by unions under federal regulations. We cannot be responsible for correcting inaccurate information that labor organizations provide to these government agencies. Please contact the original source listed below to correct any inaccurate information.


Detailed Database Methodology

Financial and Membership Information
Financial and membership information is drawn from the Department of Labor's (DOL) LM filing database dating back to the year 2000.

This information is self-reported. Any inaccuracies are the result of an error either on the part of the union or the DOL.

Locals and Leaders
Information on union locals and leadership is derived from the Department of Labor's LM filing database dating back to the year 2000. This information is self-reported. Any inaccuracies are the result of an error either on the part of the union or the DOL.

Political Action Committees (PACs)
Information on union-affiliated Political Action Committees is drawn from the Federal Election Commission (FEC) database of 2003-2004 political donations. We identified more than 300 union-affiliated PACs and assigned them to their respective unions. Some irregularities may exist due to inconsistent names.

Information on PAC contributions is self-reported. Any inaccuracies are the result of an error either on the part of the union or the FEC.

The FEC's PAC information should not be viewed as a complete picture of a union's political contributions. The FEC only regulates political contributions to federal candidates (U.S. Senators, Representatives, and the President). Many union organizations make political contributions on the local and state level, which are not reported here. Some of that information can be found in union 527 political organization filings.

527 Organizations
Unlike Political Action Committees, which may make direct contributions of up to $5,000 to federal candidates for office, 527 political organizations do not fall under the purview of the Federal Election Commission. Although 527 organizations are required to report receipts and contributions on a semi-regular basis to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), those reports are neither standardized nor readily available.

Information on 527 organizations is limited to the IRS's database of electronically filed 8872 forms. Many 8872s have only been filed on paper. As a result, our database should not be seen as a complete view of a labor unions' 527 activity. Please note that many 527 disbursements are not direct contributions to campaigns, but rather transfers between union-affiliated 527s.

We identified more than 1,100 union-affiliated 527s and assigned them to their respective unions. Some irregularities may exist due to inconsistent names.

IRS 8872 filings are self-reported. Any inaccuracies are the result of an error either on the part of the union or the IRS.

Lobbying Money
Information on lobbying activity is drawn from the U.S. Senate's Lobbying Disclosure Records, and represent union funds spent to lobby for federal legislation in the Senate. This information does not represent a union's total lobbying expenditures, which may include funds reported to the House of Representatives, the executive branch, or state or local governments. It also does not include any funds not reported to any official entity, but which are nonetheless aimed at influencing federal, state, or local policy.

To tabulate lobbying expenditures, we identified more than 600 self-reported, union-affiliated lobbying reports and assigned them to their respective unions. Some irregularities may exists due to inconsistent names.

Unfair Labor Practices
Also Known As “C Cases”
Information on Unfair Labor Practice (ULP) charges is drawn from the National Labor Relations Board's Case Activity Tracking (CATS) database. To identify ULP charges, we queried the CATS database for C Cases with a union named as a charged party. We differentiated unions according to the NLRB's union identification.

Decertification Elections
Also Known As “RD Cases”
Information on decertification elections is drawn from the National Labor Relations Board's Case Activity Tracking (CATS) database. To identify decertification elections, we queried the CATS database for RD Cases. We differentiated unions according to the NLRB union identification.

Election Records
Also Known As “RC Cases”
Information on certification elections is drawn from the National Labor Relations Board's Case Activity Tracking (CATS) database. To identify decertification elections, we queried the CATS database for RC Cases. We assigned a union's win/loss recored based on the number of electioons where representation was certified. We differentiated unions according to the NLRB union identification.