Founder and Executive Director of Labor Lab, Bob Funk, returned to the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the increase in union-busting activities in America. Funk discussed the work that Labor Lab does for the labor movement and how new regulations from the Department of Labor can help hold large corporations accountable.
Labor Lab is the only non-profit watchdog organization in America that is dedicated to tracking corporate spending on union-busting. Their research and reporting highlight the special interests working to defeat workplace democracy. Workers have a basic and fundamental right to form a union. Anyone who attempts to limit that right should be held accountable, according to Funk.
The new rules that the Department of Labor put forward require employers to account for dealings with union-busting firms. Labor Lab had a petition with hundreds of thousands of signatures supporting the measures and filed a public comment on the case. The new measures require employers to document the spending on the union-busting firms on an LM-10 form submitted to the Department of Labor within three months of fund allocation. Funk outlined current issues with the LM-10 form and delinquent reporting by employers.
The new rules will make tracking and data collection easier for Labor Lab to help hold corporate entities accountable. Not only will they be able to track the spending, but they will also identify companies that are receiving federal dollars while breaking the law. Funk believes any company receiving federal dollars should not be allowed to spend on union-busting activities. As tracking and data becomes easier to collect, there is hope that the labor movement will be able to fight back against the huge union-busting industry.
For more on Labor Lab’s work and the union-busting activity in America, listen to the whole show above.