Look at this real close. This is how our union leadership spends our dues. While we fight for scraps in our contracts, they’re pulling in six-figure salaries – and that’s before reimbursements! These reimbursements are what really gets me. Some folks are walking away with an extra forty grand a year on top of their base salary. Forty grand! That’s more than a lot of people make in a year!

First: What Is An LM-2?

An LM-2 is a financial report that labor organizations in the United States are required to file annually with the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS). This report provides information about the labor organization’s financial conditions and operations, including details about income, expenditures, assets, liabilities, and any transactions the organization may have with officers, employees, and certain vendors.

The purpose of the LM-2 is to promote transparency and accountability within labor organizations. The information it contains is available to the public, allowing members of the organization and the general public to see how the organization manages its funds.

Reimbursements: A System Ripe for Abuse

What are they spending all this money on? The report doesn’t say. And that’s a problem. This lack of transparency makes it easy to suspect that some folks are playing a game. Forty thousand dollars in reimbursements? That’s a lot of receipts to keep track of. Are they legitimate? Who’s approving them?

We’re paying for all this, you see. Our dues are funding this lavish lifestyle for our union reps. Meanwhile, they negotiate contracts that barely cover inflation. They don’t fight for us because they don’t have to. They’re already living high on the hog.

Rank-and-File Deserve Better

We deserve better. We deserve leadership that fights for our rights, not lines their pockets. We deserve transparency in how our dues are spent. And we deserve a voice in who represents us.

Here’s what we can do:

• Demand a breakdown of these reimbursements. Let’s see what our money is being spent on.
• Insist on clear guidelines and an unbiased approval process for reimbursements. No more shady backroom deals.
• Get active in the union. Run for office. Vote in elections. Hold your reps accountable.

We’ve gotta take a stand. This isn’t about envy; it’s about fairness. We work hard for our money. Our union leadership should be working just as hard for us.

Click here for the entire 2023 LM2