In 1947, the Labor Management Relations Act became law, despite President Harry S. Truman’s attempt to veto it on June 23, 1947. Sponsored by Senator Robert Taft and Representative Fred Hartley, Jr., this law amended the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA) passed in 1935. It was just one of 250 labor and union-related bills sponsored in 1947, placing the issue of strikes and proper working hours and conditions at the forefront of the minds of all Americans.
The need for an amendment to the NLRA came because of the undesirable effects on commerce brought about by violent picketing and strikes, secondary boycotts where third parties were injured, the imbalance of power while determining appropriate bargaining units, the corruption of some unions, and many work-assignment disputes among unions.
Purpose of the LMRA
The passing of the LMRA prevented the emphasis and power within federal labor law from tipping towards federal protection of employee’s right. LMRA effected a balance of power between employers and employees or employee-focused unions, all while guaranteeing basic freedoms of conduct and speech to both employer and employee.
The purposes of the LMRA include the following:
- In relations affecting commerce, the act protects the legitimate rights of employers and employees.
- The act outlines peaceful and orderly procedures to prevent both employers and employees from interfering with each other’s outlined rights.
- In regards to relations with labor organizations where activities affect commerce, the act protects the rights of each individual employee.
- To prescribe and define the management and labor practices where commerce is affected.
- To protect the public’s rights where labor disputes affect commerce.
Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act
In addition to the rules and regulations associated with the LMRA, there is a Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) that came into play in 1959. It covers unions, union members, employees and officers of unions, employees who work under the umbrella of collective bargaining agreements (even if they aren’t union members themselves), employers, consultants, surety companies, union-interested trusts, and other persons as defined under the LMRDA.
The reporting and documentation requirements associated with the LMRDA are complex and restrictive. Every union who is bound under the requirements of the LMRDA must be in compliance with documentation requirements to avoid fines and legal implications.
LMRDA Documentation Requirements
Those bound by the LMRDA include the following:
- Employees and officers of unions
- Employers
- Surety companies
- Labor relations consultants
Be aware that all reports filed are public information and you may also be subject to follow-up investigations, so it is important to keep the required documentation for 5 years to defend your reporting information.
The following required documentation includes:
- LM-1: This is the initial information report, due within 90 days after being under LMRDA.
- LM-2: This annual report is the most detailed, and must be filed by unions with annual receipts totaling $250,000 or more, as well as those in a trusteeship.
- LM-3: This annual report is for those with annual receipts totaling less than $250,000 and is not in a trusteeship.
- LM-4: An abbreviated annual report, LM-4 is for unions not in a trusteeship and with receipts totaling less than $10,000
Other reports include trusteeship reports, labor organization and employee reports, employer reports, labor relations consultant’s reports, and surety company reports.
Document Management
If the thought of keeping track of and properly filing and retaining all of these reports is overwhelming, or if you are just looking for an environmentally friendly, space-saving way to manage your paper, you will be happy to hear of the document management system (DMS) programs offered here at eFileCabinet.
Our DMS platforms will assist you in keeping track of all the necessary forms for all of your labor documentation requirements. eFileCabinet will
- Give you a secure place to store documents away from fire, flood, and other natural disasters.
- Create audit trails for all documents and forms so you can see who has created, accessed, and edited a document, and when.
- Allow you to set permissions on who can access certain documents.
- Give you a safe, secure way to access documents off-site.
- Allow you to rest easy knowing you will be able to easily retrieve documentation should you have to follow up on any claims or issues.
In addition to all of these storage, retrieval, and access perks, you will also benefit from eFileCabinet’s DMS platforms by spending less money on paper, doing your part to be environmentally friendly, and saving office space by ridding yourself of bulky filing cabinets.
Fill out the contact form today and get a complimentary 15-minute demonstration of how we can help you in your union and labor reporting endeavors.