Landrum-Griffin Act Imposes Federal Restrictions on Union Internal Operations

Congress passes the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin Act) in response to publicized corruption in the Teamsters, International Longshoremen’s Association, and United Mine Workers, imposing extensive federal oversight of union internal operations including mandatory financial disclosures, democratic election requirements, and restrictions on union tactics. The Act requires unions to hold secret ballot elections for local offices every three years and national offices every five years, provides Department of Labor review of election disputes, and mandates detailed financial reporting to the federal government.

Beyond democratic reforms, Landrum-Griffin restricts union organizing tactics by outlawing “hot cargo” agreements (where unions and neutral employers agree not to handle goods from employers with labor disputes) and secondary boycotts, further limiting union economic leverage beyond Taft-Hartley’s 1947 restrictions. The Act also prohibits individuals with Communist Party ties or felony convictions from holding union office for five years, introducing ideological and criminal background restrictions on union leadership during Cold War anti-communist fervor.

While Landrum-Griffin includes a “union members’ bill of rights” protecting internal free speech and fair discipline procedures, the Act represents the third major legislative restriction on union power following Taft-Hartley (1947) and building on Wagner Act (1935) rollbacks. By imposing extensive federal reporting requirements, election regulations, and tactical restrictions, Landrum-Griffin increases the bureaucratic and legal compliance burden on unions while providing additional grounds for legal challenges and government intervention in union operations. The Act continues the pattern of using legitimate concerns (corruption) to justify broader restrictions on union effectiveness, contributing to the systematic weakening of organized labor over the following 65 years as compliance costs rise and tactical options narrow.