New Interest in Enforcement of Labor

The Department of Labor (DOL) recently announced that it will depart from its longstanding policy of not aggressively enforcing the reporting requirements for employers and labor organizations under the Labor-Management Reporting Disclosure Act (LMRDA). In early July 2005, the DOL announced its intention to begin actively enforcing this reporting requirement for both employers and labor organizations. This new DOL policy is especially dangerous for employers because it can result in both criminal and civil penalties against the employer and its officers, in their individual capacity, for failing to meet the reporting requirements.