U.S. Department of Labor Blog
Between Labor Day and the start of autumn lies an important date for the department’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS). On Sept. 14, 1959, President Eisenhower signed the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act – or LMRDA – into law. This landmark legislation was passed to curb corruption in the labor-management field and champion the rights of union members. Without it, America’s labor unions would be far less accountable to their members. We even inducted two of its champions into the Labor Hall of Honor in 2019: Sen. Robert Griffin and Howard Jenkins Jr.
The act also created OLMS, although we’ve gone by different names over the years. Today, our primary mission is enforcing most provisions of the LMRDA, which promotes internal union democracy, union financial integrity, and labor-management transparency. Much has changed since the LMRDA became law. In 1959, labor unions represented over 30% of the private sector workforce in the U.S. – today it’s just 6%. As private sector union representation transitioned from manufacturing to service industries, many unions diversified their memberships by organizing workers in different occupations. For instance, membership in the United Steelworkers union is no longer synonymous with employment at an industrial steel plant. The Steelworkers union today also represents workers in mines, refineries, hospitals, schools, universities, and other workplaces.
Technological advancements continue to transform the labor-management landscape and the ways we carry out our mission. In 1959, a stamp cost just 4 cents to mail in required labor-management reports! Fast forward to 2025. Now all LM reports are filed with OLMS electronically – saving taxpayer dollars, easing the burden of reporting and making the information instantly available to the public online.
We face new challenges to enforcing the law in an increasingly automated world. Unscrupulous individuals now have new ways to conceal transactions, file inaccurate LM reports, and misappropriate union funds. That’s why we proactively adapt our investigative techniques and methods, and make sure all new OLMS field investigators are trained in digital records to detect embezzlements and other violations.
We’re also committed to better helping the regulated community comply with LMRDA requirements through robust compliance assistance, including seminars across the country and our Voluntary Compliance Partnership program.
Sixty-six years later, we — the employees of OLMS — are grateful for the law that has allowed us to meaningfully serve the American people and America’s unions. We stand ready to assist unions, officers, employers, and labor relations consultants as we continue our mission under the LMRDA to foster labor union democracy and financial integrity.
The Office of Labor-Management Standards is an agency of the U.S. Department of Labor. Learn more about OLMS, its mission, and the LMRDA by visiting our website.