U.S. Department of Labor

Employment Standards Administration
Office of Labor-Management Standards
Philadelphia District Office
170 S. Independence Mall West
Room 760
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215)861-4818 Fax: (215)861-4819

February 25, 2009

Mr. Donald Zummo, Secretary-Treasurer
Steelworkers AFL-CIO
Local 9462
476 West Elm Street
Conshohocken, PA 19482

LM File Number 080-115
Case Number: ||||||||||
Dear Mr. Zummo:

This office has recently completed an audit of Steelworkers Local 9462 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 February 23, 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 9462’s 2007 records revealed the following recordkeeping violations:

1. Information not Recorded in Meeting Minutes

During the audit, Mr. Zummo advised OLMS that the membership authorized $30 monthly rebates to all officers with a union cell phone during the previous fiscal year. However, the minutes of the meetings do not contain any reference to this issue. Minutes of all membership or executive board meetings must report any disbursement authorizations made at those meetings.

2. Lack of Salary Authorization

Local 9462 did not maintain records to verify that the salaries reported in Item 24 (All Officer and Disbursements to Officers) of the LM-3 was the authorized amount and therefore was correctly reported. The union must keep a record, such as meeting minutes, to show the current salary authorized by the entity or individual in the union with the authority to establish salaries.

3. Failure to Record Disbursements

Local 9462 did not record in its disbursement records some disbursements of funds by the local for expenses totaling $310.43. One union check totaling $310.43 was issued to President Art C. Faddis with no corresponding entries in the union’s disbursement records. Union disbursement records must include an adequate identification and sufficient back-up documentation for all expenditures of funds by the union. The records should show the date and amount disbursed and the local must maintain back-up documentation to verify the disbursement.

Based on your assurance that Local 9462 will retain adequate documentation in the future, OLMS will take no further enforcement action at this time regarding the above violations.

Reporting Violation

The audit disclosed a violation of LMRDA Section 201(b), which requires labor organizations to file annual financial reports accurately disclosing their financial condition and operations. The Labor Organization Annual Report LM-3 filed by Local 9462 for fiscal year ending December 31, 2007, was deficient in that:

Disbursements to Officers

Local 9462 did not include some reimbursements to officers totaling at least $10,000 in the amounts reported Item 24 (All Officers and Disbursements to Officers). It appears the union erroneously reported these payments in Item 54.

The union must report most direct disbursements to Local 9462 officers and some indirect disbursements made on behalf of its officers in Item 24. A "direct disbursement" to an officer is a payment made to an officer in the form of cash, property, goods, services, or other things of value. See the instructions for Item 24 for a discussion of certain direct disbursements to officers that do not have to be reported in Item 24. An "indirect disbursement" to an officer is a payment to another party (including a credit card company) for cash, property, goods, services, or other things of value received by or on behalf of an officer. However, indirect disbursements for temporary lodging (such as a union check issued to a hotel) or for transportation by a public carrier (such as an airline) for an officer traveling on union business should be reported in Item 48 (Office and Administrative Expense).

I am not requiring that Local 9462 file an amended LM report for 2007 to correct the deficient items, but Local 9462 has agreed to properly report the deficient items on all future reports it files with OLMS.

I want to extend my personal appreciation to Steelworkers Local 9462 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,

|||| || ||||||
Investigator
cc: Art C. Faddis, President