U.S. Department of Labor

Employment Standards Administration
Office of Labor-Management Standards
Denver District Office, Suite 2435
1999 Broadway
Denver, CO 80202-5712
(720) 264-3232 Fax:(720) 264-3230

 

June 10, 2008

Mr. Drew Richens, President
Bricklayers Local 1
2261 South Redwood Road
Salt Lake City, UT 84119

LM File Number: 020-732
Case Number: |||||||||||

Dear Mr. Richens:

This office has recently completed an audit of Bricklayers Local 1 under the Compliance Audit Program (CAP) to determine your organization’s compliance with the provisions of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA). As discussed during the exit interview with you and Mikel Lester, Bookkeeper, on June 4, 2008, the following problems were disclosed during the CAP. The matters listed below are not an exhaustive list of all possible problem areas since the audit conducted was limited in scope.

Recordkeeping Violations

Title II of the LMRDA establishes certain reporting and recordkeeping requirements. Section 206 requires, among other things, that labor organizations maintain adequate records for at least five years by which each receipt and disbursement of funds, as well as all account balances, can be verified, explained, and clarified. As a general rule, labor organizations must maintain all records used or received in the course of union business.

For disbursements, this includes not only original bills, invoices, receipts, vouchers, and applicable resolutions, but also documentation showing the nature of the union business requiring the disbursement, the goods or services received, and the identify of the recipient(s) of the goods or services. In most instances, this documentation requirement can be satisfied with a sufficiently descriptive expense receipt or invoice. If an expense receipt is not sufficiently descriptive, a union officer or employee should write a note on it providing the additional information. For money it receives, the labor organization must keep at least one record showing the date, amount, purpose, and source of that money. The labor organization must also retain bank records for all accounts.

The audit of Local 1’s 2007 records revealed the following recordkeeping violations:

Local 1 did not maintain records to verify that the salaries reported in Schedules 11, Item 24 (All Officer and Disbursements to Officers) of the LM-3 was the authorized amount and therefore was correctly reported. The union must keep a record, such as meeting minutes, to show the current salary authorized by the entity or individual in the union with the authority to establish salaries.

Based on your assurance that Local 1 will retain adequate documentation in the future, OLMS will take no further enforcement action at this time regarding the above violation.

Reporting Violations

The audit disclosed a violation of LMRDA Section 201(b), which requires labor organizations to file annual financial reports accurately disclosing their financial condition and operations. The Labor Organization Annual Report Form LM-3 filed by Local 1 for fiscal year ending December 31, 2007, was deficient in the following area:

Local 1 did not disclose that it charges working dues and the rate the union charges in Item 23a. The union must report in Item 23a all dues charged by the union.

Based on your assurances that Local 1 will enter this information on future LM-3 reports, OLMS will take no further enforcement action at this time regarding the above violation.

I want to extend my personal appreciation to Bricklayers Local 1 for the cooperation and courtesy extended during this compliance audit. I strongly recommend that you make sure this letter and the compliance assistance materials provided to you are passed on to future officers. If we can provide any additional assistance, please do not hesitate to call.

Sincerely,

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Investigator