Unions Stray Far From Original Purpose
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
19 OCTOBER 2007
CONTACT: Brian M Johnson
202-785-0266
Unions Stray Far From Original Purpose
Today in 1648, the First Labor Union Was Formed
Washington, DC – The Alliance for Worker Freedom (AWF), a group dedicated to protecting workers rights and freedoms by educating the public and combating anti-worker, pro-union boss legislation, understands that unions have strayed far from their original purpose. Brian M. Johnson, AWF’s Director of Policy issued the following statement:
“Straying far from the heavily dominated, union-labor market, union members and union dues are on the decline,” says Johnson. “However, at a time when union corruption convictions are at an all time high, the left is cutting funding for the only union monitoring agency, the Office of Labor Management Standards (OLMS), and corporate concessions are giving billions in unmarked funds for further abuse. Unions were created to bring workers together to negotiate for better conditions. However, they were quickly transformed to shut out immigrant workers and minorities. Now, unions are used to extort wages from the state and ensure a steady stream of funds of union-bosses to squander how they best see fit.”
- Since 2001, OLMS indictments have increased 20%.
- OLMS convictions have increased by 26% to over 781 convictions.
- Over $101 million in restored dues to union members.
- 15,800 unions file disclosure reports; only 4% audited due to lack of funds.
- A 2004 Zogby poll says 71% of union members want disclosure.
- Between May 2006 and May 2007, the OLMS website received an average of 2,100 hits per day.
To schedule an interview with Brian Johnson, please contact 202-785-0266 or email jkartch@atr.org.
