The Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) establishes democratic standards for union trusteeships, which are defined as any receivership, trusteeship, or other method of supervision or control whereby a labor organization suspends the autonomy otherwise available to a subordinate body under its constitution or bylaws. For further information concerning the LMRDA’s trusteeship requirements, please visit the OLMS Union Democracy page and the LMRDA Trusteeship Requirements page.
Upon receipt of a properly submitted trusteeship complaint from a union member, OLMS opens an investigation to determine whether or not the union lawfully imposed or maintained a trusteeship of a subordinate union. See the OLMS Civil Enforcement Actions page for a summary of trusteeship cases in which OLMS brought suit. Upon dismissal of trusteeship complaints, OLMS issues a Statement of Reasons (SOR) to document the reasons for dismissal.
Between fiscal year (FY) 2011 and FY 2020, of the roughly 20,000 unions covered by the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) or Civil Service Reform Act (CSRA), parent national or international unions have reported placing on average 320 affiliates in trusteeship per year*. During that period, OLMS has received anywhere from five to 33 complaints per year.
| Fiscal Year | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of Initial Trusteeship Forms Filed with OLMS | 347 | 279 | 226 | 220 | 325 | 303 | 463 | 346 | 360 | 328 | 3197 |
| Number of Complaints Filed with OLMS | 9 | 15 | 18 | 19 | 14 | 33 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 5 | 161 |
| Percentage of Trusteeships Where a Complaint was Filed with OLMS | 2.59% | 5.38% | 7.96% | 8.64% | 4.31% | 10.89% | 3.67% | 4.62% | 4.17% | 1.52% | 5.04% |
*The right to place a subordinate union in trusteeship is governed by Title III of the LMRDA, and it must be made pursuant to the parent union's governing documents. The 20,000 estimate is based on the total number of unions that file LM reports each year.
Below are the most recent Statements of Reasons for trusteeship cases. OLMS will post these decisions prospectively, and will post decisions from previous years as they become electronically available.
2021
2020
2019
2018
2017
2016
2015
2014
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2005
Last Updated: 10-14-21