THE UNION LABEL

Coalition Calls for Full Funding of Union Watchdog

Posted on September 10, 2007 at 2:42 pm by Chuck Muth

Below is a coalition letter signed by close to 20 groups, including Citizen Outreach Project, urging the Senate to use budget-neutral methods to restore full funding to the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS) as requested by the President…

September 10, 2007

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the undersigned organizations representing hundreds of thousands of workers, employers, taxpayers, small businesses, shareholders, consumers and senior citizens, we strongly urge you and your colleagues to reverse the increasingly dangerous direction that the 110th Congress is taking in aligning with Big Labor and restore full funding to the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS).

Specifically, the House-passed version of H.R. 3043, the 2008 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill, cuts OLMS funding by $2 million and falls $11 million short of the Bush administration’s budget request. By cutting funding for the agency that monitors union activity, those in the House are sending a clear message to the American worker that big labor does not need monitoring and can continue to operate unchecked. Despite the OLMS’s obvious success, reducing operating costs for a government agency completely interferes with that agency’s ability to effectively and efficiently do their job.

In an effort to curtail government spending, this coalition is calling for a “budget neutral” solution where frivolous, over-inflated areas of Labor Department spending are cut providing capital that can be used to restore funding to the OLMS. One such solution would be to end federal unemployment subsidies for individuals with incomes over $120,000. The Department of Labor estimates that this will generate a one-year savings of $400 million. This more than covers the President’s proposal of $56.9 million with capital left-over; and this is merely one example of wasteful government spending that could be eliminated or reduced to provide funding for an organization with proven results.

At a time when unions are increasingly desperate to maintain their relevance, OLMS investigations have resulted in 780 convictions and more than $100 million in restitution for union members, why would the Senate pass legislation that would ultimately give “union bosses” a free pass over the control and intimidation of workers nationwide?

On the heels of a legislative season filled with anti-worker freedom legislation, cutting the OLMS budget gives union corruption the seal of approval to resume crime & fiscal improprieties without consequence. If there is any doubt regarding the correlation between OLMS funding and union monitoring, think again; the numbers speak for themselves. Consider that the agency’s budget increased 50 percent from 2001 to 2006 and at that same time convictions increased 26 percent – while union membership was on the decline. With direct, positive correlations between increased funding and a rise in convictions of corrupt union members, there will be no justification Senator if you align with big labor and against workers rights.

Regardless, despite the over 200 percent increase in OLMS compliance audits conducted between 2001 and 2006 and the 780 convictions, the House still sided against the worker and chose to protect big labor. Senator, the members of this collation are urging you and your colleagues not to make the same mistake. Several of these organizations and individuals will continue to monitor your vote and will rank this vote in their annual scorecards. Don’t send the message to your constituents that you side with big labor and against workers rights. Choose a “budget neutral” solution and give OLMS the tools necessary to protect worker freedom by ensuring the fiscal accountability of Big Labor.

We strongly urge you to vote to restore full funding by using “budget neutral” methods, as requested to the Office of Labor Management Standards so that union corruption will not go unchecked and workers can have their safety and their freedom.

Sincerely,

Lori Roman
Executive Director
ALEC

David A. Keene
Chairman
American Conservative Union

Brian M. Johnson
Director of Policy
Alliance for Worker Freedom

Jeffery Mazzella
President
Center for Individual Freedom

Ryan Ellis
Executive Director
American Shareholders Association

Chuck Muth
President
Citizen Outreach Project

Tim Phillips
President
Americans for Prosperity

Richard O. Rowland
President
Grassroots Institute of Hawaii

Grover G. Norquist
President
Americans for Tax Reform

Diana Furchtgott-Roth
Director, Center for Employment Policy
Hudson Institute, Washington, D.C.

Charles W. Baird
Emeritus Professor of Economics
California State University, East Bay

Khaled Saffuri
President
Islamic Free Market Institute

Kay Daily
President
Coalition for a Fair Judiciary

William Fine
Executive Director
National Alliance for Worker and Employer Right

Thomas Schatz
President
Council for Citizens Against Government Waste

David Denholm
President
Public Service Research Council

Derrick Hunter
Executive Director
Media Freedom Project

David J. Hansen
President
Buckeye Institute for Public Policy Solutions

Richard Faulkner
Executive Vice President
Maryland Taxpayers Association, Inc.

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