The Impact of Landrum-Griffin on Union Government

Abstract

The Landrum-Griffin Act passed in 1959 treats of the practices of labor unions in the various areas of union government and practice, particularly elections, financial mat ters, and trusteeships. The legislation is of too recent origin for its full impact to have become clear. Some possible effects on labor organizations include factionalism within locals and amalgamation of small locals into larger units. On one hand, the act encourages individual members of locals to participate in local union elections and campaigns. At the same time, the requirements of the law for record-keeping and reporting make office-holding burdensome for members of locals. On the other hand, the act requires costly election and accounting procedures which force small locals to merge. Thus, individual members are deprived of opportunities for participation. On balance, it appears that the Landrum-Griffin Act affects small unions about whose practices ethical questions had not been raised more than it affects the large unions whose practices had been investigated and questioned, because the large unions can re tain lawyers to manage their affairs. It is also possible that future subversive infiltrations of the unions will be more diffi cult to check than past attempts, because fewer restraints are countenanced on campaigning within the unions.