29 U.S.C. § 431 — Report of labor organizations

This section requires labor unions to report information to the government and to their own members. (a) Every labor union must adopt a constitution and bylaws and file a copy with the Secretary of Labor. The union must also file a report, signed by its president and secretary or similar top officers, that includes: (1) the union's name, mailing address, and any other address where it keeps its main office or its records; (2) the name and title of each officer; (3) the initiation fee charged to new or transferred members, and any fees for work permits; (4) the regular dues or other periodic payments members must pay to stay members; and (5) detailed information — or a reference to where such information appears in other filed documents — about the union's rules and procedures for: (A) who can join or is kept out of membership; (B) charging members extra assessments; (C) taking part in insurance or other benefit plans; (D) approving the union's spending; (E) auditing the union's finances; (F) calling regular and special meetings; (G) choosing officers, stewards, and representatives to other groups, including how each one is elected, appointed, or otherwise chosen; (H) disciplining or removing officers or agents who violate their duties; (I) fining, suspending, or expelling members, including the grounds for doing so and any required notice, hearing, and appeal process; (J) authorizing bargaining demands; (K) approving contract terms; (L) authorizing strikes; and (M) issuing work permits. Whenever any of this information changes, the union must report the change when it files its next annual financial report under subsection (b). (b) Every union must also file an annual financial report, signed by its president and treasurer or similar top officers. This report must be detailed enough to accurately show the union's financial condition and activities for the past fiscal year, covering: (1) assets and debts at the start and end of the year; (2) all money received and where it came from; (3) salaries and other payments, including reimbursed expenses, paid to each officer and to each employee who received more than $10,000 total from the union and any related or affiliated union; (4) loans to any officer, employee, or member that added up to more than $250 during the year, including their purpose, any security given, and how they will be repaid; (5) loans to any business, including their purpose, any security given, and how they will be repaid; and (6) all other spending and its purpose. The Secretary decides the categories used to report this information. (c) Every union that must file a report under this subchapter must make the information in that report available to all of its members. The union and its officers must also let any member, for good cause, examine the union's books, records, and accounts needed to check the report. A member can sue to enforce this right in the right state court or in the federal district court where the union has its main office. If the member wins, the court may also, at its discretion, order the union to pay the member's reasonable attorney's fees and the costs of the lawsuit.