On November 26, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, the Department filed suit against United Automobile Workers (UAW) Local 140 (located in Warren, Mich.). The lawsuit seeks to nullify the union’s May 14, 2024 election for the offices of president, trustee, and executive board member at large. The complaint alleges that the union failed to ensure that only eligible voters were allowed to vote and that voters only voted once, in violation of Section 401(c) of the LMRDA. The complaint further alleges that the union prevented observers from witnessing the opening and counting of the absentee ballots and from observing the initial stages of the ballot tally, in violation of Section 401(c) of the LMRDA. Finally, the complaint alleges that the union failed to preserve the envelopes used by absentee voters and all the ballot request slips completed by voters, in violation of Section 401(e) of the LMRDA. The lawsuit follows an investigation by the OLMS Detroit-Milwaukee District Office.

On November 7, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, a settlement was reached between the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers & Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 1 (located in Lyons, Ill.) and the Department of Labor. The settlement requires BCTGM Local 1 to conduct its next regularly scheduled officer election under OLMS supervision. This settlement agreement followed a civil suit filed by the Secretary of Labor following an OLMS investigation concerning the union’s January 2023 election. The suit alleged that the union denied members a reasonable opportunity to vote by failing to mail an election notice to all members at their last known home address not less than fifteen days prior to the election, and by failing to mail ballots to members in good standing, in violation of Section 401(e) of the LMRDA. The settlement agreement follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.

On November 6, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, a settlement was reached between International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA) Local 1408 (located in Jacksonville, Fla.) and the Department of Labor. The settlement requires ILA Local 1408 to conduct its next regularly scheduled officer election under OLMS supervision by December 20, 2025. This settlement agreement followed a civil suit filed by the Secretary of Labor following an OLMS investigation concerning the union’s December 2022 officer election. The suit alleged that Local 1408 improperly applied candidate qualifications when it made incorrect determinations about whether two nominees were barred from holding union office under Section 504 of the LMRDA; when it disqualified another nominee for non-payment of container royalty fees without having properly notified that nominee of the debt; and when it applied a qualification prohibiting supervisors from running for office without informing members in advance that frequent temporary supervisor assignments would disqualify them, all in violation of Section 401(e) of the LMRDA. The settlement agreement follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta-Nashville District Office.

On July 12, 2024, in the United States District Court for the District of Utah, the Department filed suit against SkyWest InFlight Association (SIA) (located in Salt Lake City, Utah). The lawsuit seeks to nullify the August 2023 election of representatives and the subsequent rerun in January 2024, as well as prior elections for the officer positions of president, vice president, and secretary. The complaint alleges the union violated Title IV of the LMRDA when it failed to afford a reasonable opportunity to nominate candidates and also failed to allow members in good standing to run for office in the January 2024 election. The complaint also alleges the union failed to mail an election notice to the last known home address of all members at least 15 days prior to the election, in violation of Section 401(e) of the LMRDA. Finally, SIA failed to elect officers at least every three years but rather were electing representatives to terms of four years or longer, in violation of Section 401(b) of the LMRDA. The lawsuit follows an investigation by the OLMS Denver-St. Louis District Office.

On May 3, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division, the Department filed suit against Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers & Grain Millers (BCTGM) Local 1 (located in Lyons, Ill.). The suit seeks to nullify the union’s January 13, 2023, election of officers and order Local 1 to conduct a new election with new nominations under the Secretary’s supervision as provided by the LMRDA. The complaint alleges that the union denied members a reasonable opportunity to vote by failing to mail an election notice to all members at their last known home address not less than fifteen days prior to the election, and by failing to mail ballots to members in good standing, in violation of Section 401(e) of the LMRDA. The lawsuit follows an investigation by the OLMS Chicago District Office.

On March 13, 2024, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, a settlement was reached between Transport Workers Union of America (TWU) Local 568 (located in Miami, Fla.) and the Department of Labor. The settlement agreement requires TWU Local 568 to conduct its next regularly scheduled officer election under OLMS supervision. This settlement agreement followed a civil suit filed by the Secretary of Labor following an OLMS investigation. The May 2022 lawsuit alleged that during Local 568’s December 2021 officer election, the local improperly disqualified a member in good standing from candidacy for the office of president based on discipline imposed without providing the member with written specific charges or a full and fair hearing as required by Section 101(a)(5) of the LMRDA. The settlement agreement follows an investigation by the OLMS Atlanta-Nashville District Office.

 

 

Last Updated: 12-09-24