Opinion ID: 2999874
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Title IV of the LMRDA

Text: Title IV (also known as subchapter V) of the LMRDA, 29 U.S.C. §§ 481-483, is entitled “Elections.” Title IV’s function in furthering the overall goals of the LMRDA is “to insure ‘free and democratic elections’ ” for union officers. Glass Bottle Blowers Assoc., 389 U.S. at 469. Among the requirements of Title IV are that every local labor organization must hold an election of officers at least once every three years; that the union must permit the distribution of campaign literature without discrimination for or against any candidate; that every bona fide candidate shall have the right to inspect a union’s mailing list of members; that “adequate safeguards to ensure a fair election” be provided, including the right of any candidate to have an observer at the polls and at the counting of ballots; that every member in good standing shall have the right to vote, to hold office, and to support the candidate of his or her choice without fear of discipline or reprisal; and that the union and the employer are generally prohibited from spending money to promote the candidacy of any particular person. 29 U.S.C. § 481(c), (e), (g). Title IV contains a civil enforcement provision that outlines the following procedures as relevant to the issue here: (1) any member of a union who believes that Title IV has been violated, and who has first exhausted the remedies available to him or her under the labor organization’s constitution or bylaws may file a complaint with the Secretary; (2) the “challenged election” shall be presumed valid pending investigation by the Secretary; (3) the Secretary shall investigate the complaint, and “if he finds probable cause to believe that a violation of this subchapter has occurred and has not been remedied, he shall . . . bring a civil action against the labor organization . . . to set aside the invalid election . . .”; and (4) if a court finds that a violation of § 481 “may have affected the outcome of an election,” the court “shall declare the election, if any, to be 6 No. 05-2478 void and direct the conduct of a new election . . . .” 29 U.S.C. § 482. Finally, Title IV also contains a provision, relied upon by the Union in this case, stating that “[t]he remedy provided by this subchapter for challenging an election already conducted shall be exclusive.” 29 U.S.C. § 483.