U.S. Department of Labor
Office of Labor-Management Standards
Nashville District Office
233 Cumberland Bend Drive, Suite 110
Nashville, TN 37228
(615) 736-5906 Fax: (615) 736-7148
September 30, 2010
Mr. Ronald Bowlin, President
American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, Local 5
P O Box 290033
Nashville, TN 37229-0033 Case Number: ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
LM Number: 092539
Dear Mr. Bowlin:
This office has recently completed an audit of American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, Local 5 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 and Secretary-Treasurer Cheryl Womack on September 30, 2010, 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.
Reporting 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 5’s 2010 records revealed the following recordkeeping violation:
Lost Wages
Local 5 did not retain adequate documentation for lost wage reimbursement payments to union officers totaling at least $1,288.05. The union must maintain records in support of lost wage claims that identify each date lost wages were incurred, the number of hours lost on each date, the applicable rate of pay, and a description of the union business conducted. The OLMS audit found that Local 5 paid lost time on the following dates: January 01, 2009, April 30, 2009, and September 26, 2009, but there was not a lost time voucher, USPS Form 3971, LWOP form, or check stub to reference the payments.
Based on your assurance that Local 5 will retain adequate documentation in the future, OLMS will take no further enforcement action at this time regarding the above violations
I want to extend my personal appreciation to American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, Local 5 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