Labor Consultant Rules

The Department of Labor has just published its long anticipated new rule governing disclosure of "persuader activity." The rule is designed to require law firms and other consultants to detail the fact of any agreement to undertake certain activities to persuade employees concerning their collective bargaining or organizing rights. As expected the terms are broadly construed to require disclosure.

There will doubtless be significant challenges to enforcement. The new rules require broad disclosure of financial matters for law firms, including arguable economic activity not logically related to persuading employees concerning union representation.

Union busting disclosure

Former union organizer Mike Elk has a post at In these Times about proposed DoL changes to employer's reporting requirements when they engage union busters. The big targeted change? Requiring employers to fill out detailed disclosures of expenses for union busters, including law firms. Under current rules legal advice is exempt from the reporting requirements as long as the law firm does not directly engage in persuading employees (persuader activity) to reject unionization.

Union salaries jump

At pro-union LABORnotes a new post presents the startling fact that 10,000 union officials and staff earned over $100,000 in annual compensation in 2008, the last year with complete statistics. The information is compiled from data required to be filed under the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA). This number has tripled since 2000.