U.S. Department of Labor
Employment Standards Administration
Office of Labor-Management Standards
Denver District Office
1999 Broadway, Suite 2435
Denver, CO 80202-5712
(720) 264-3232 Fax:(720) 264-3230
April 30, 2009
Mr. Michael Johnson, Treasurer
Steelworkers Local 920
1581 S. Krameria Street
Denver, CO 80224
LM File Number: 505-268
Case Number: ||||||||||
Dear Mr. Johnson:
This office has recently completed an audit of Steelworkers Local 920 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 on April 24, 2009, 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 identity 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 920’s 2008 records revealed the following recordkeeping violations:
General Reimbursed Expenses – Inadequate Documentation
The union did not retain adequate documentation for reimbursed expenses incurred by union officers. For example, receipts were not kept for all reimbursed office supplies and the documentation was not kept for reimbursement of all phone expenses.
As previously noted above, labor organizations must retain original receipts, bills, and vouchers for all disbursements. The union is also responsible for accurate entries in its books and records. The president and treasurer (or corresponding principal officers) of your union, who are required to sign your union’s LM report, are responsible for properly maintaining union records.
Based on your assurance that Local 920 will retain adequate documentation in the future, OLMS will take no further enforcement action at this time regarding the above violation.
I want to extend my personal appreciation to Steelworkers Local 920 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
cc: Mary Newell, President