U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Labor-Management Standards
Washington, DC 20210
July 23, 2015
LM File No. 530-135
International Longshoremen's Association
Great Lakes District Council
591 Erieside Avenue Cleveland, OH 44114
This is in response to your continuing hardship exemption request for International Longshoremen's Association, Great Lakes District Council, LM File Number 530-135, for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014. Your request dated July 6, 2015 was received by the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) on July 17, 2015. A continuing hardship exemption request requires the requesting union to apply in writing for an exemption if the Form LM-2 report cannot be filed electronically without undue burden or expense. Such written application must be received at least thirty days prior to the required due date of the report.
You based your request upon the following information stated in your letter: your union typically files the less-detailed Form LM-3 report, but in 2014 its receipts exceeded $250,000, thus requiring the more detailed Form LM-2 report. However, you anticipate that the union's annual receipts for 2015 may be less than $250,000. Additionally, you experienced difficulty in filing the Form LM-2 electronically. You also mentioned that your union cannot afford new equipment.
OLMS denies your continuing hardship exemption request for filing Form LM-2 electronically for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2014, since OLMS did not receive the request prior to the required due date of the report. If you have any further questions about filing Form LM-2 pursuant to the hardship exemption, please call 202-693-0123 and reference your organization's LM file number.
OLMS recognizes the difficulty your organization has experienced in filing electronically, and we will be contacting you to offer assistance. Additionally, you may contact the OLMS Help Desk at 1-866-4011109 (toll free) for technical electronic filing questions, such as those involving your PIN or signature. You can also contact the OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland District Office at (216) 357-5455.
Sincerely,
Andrew R. Davis, Chief Division of Interpretations and Standards
cc: Larry King, Chief, Division of Reports, Disclosure & Audits
OLMS Cincinnati-Cleveland District Office