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OPA News Release: [07/22/2002]
Contact Name: Sue
Hensley
Phone Number: (202) 693-4676
Department of Labor Announces Availability of
Digital Signatures
for Electronic Union Financial Reports
WASHINGTON -- The nation's union officers can now easily obtain
digital signatures and submit their Labor Organization Annual Reports
electronically over the Internet with automatic confirmation of receipt, the
Department of Labor's Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) announced
today.
Unions representing private sector or federal government employees must
file a Form LM-2, LM-3, or LM-4 depending on the amount of their annual
receipts.
“Allowing union officers to sign and submit their reports using the
digital signatures is an important step in automating the filing process,”
said Deputy Assistant Secretary for Labor Management Programs Don Todd.
“The instantaneous transmittal and confirmation of receipt provided by
this process will be a great help in the timely filing of union
reports.”
In January 2002, OLMS began distributing computer software to unions
that enables them to complete the required reports electronically. With the
help of the new software, union officers can sign their reports and submit them
electronically using digital signatures.
Like a written signature, a digital signature guarantees that the
individual sending the message really is who he or she claims to be. This
technology is made possible through the use of electronic keys. Using these
keys, two communicating parties can safeguard information they send to each
other.
ACES (Access Certificates for Electronic Services) digital certificates
for electronically signing Forms LM-2, LM-3, and LM-4 may be purchased for $45
per certificate at:
http://www.ntis.gov/products/pages/aces.asp
Each of the two union officers required to sign the reports needs to
obtain a separate digital signature. The digital certificate is good for two
years. The signatures may be renewed free of charge for an additional two years
and can be used with any U.S. Government agency that is participating in the
General Services Administration’s ACES program, such as the Social
Security Administration.
More information about digital signatures for union financial reports is
available on the OLMS web site at: http://www.dol.gov/esa/olms_org.htm
The Office of Labor-Management Standards is part of the Department's
Employment Standards Administration.
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