Federal Register, Volume 61 Issue 127 (Monday, July 1, 1996)

[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 127 (Monday, July 1, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Pages 33945-33946]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-16704]

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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Office of Labor-Management Standards

Proposed Collection; Comment Request

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to
reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a preclearance
consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies
with an opportunity to comment on proposed and/or continuing
collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction
Act of 1995 (PRA95) [44 U.S.C. 3506(c)(2)(A)]. This program helps to
ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format,
reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized,
collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of
collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed.
Currently, the Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) is
soliciting comments concerning the proposed extension of the collection
of information requirements of Labor Organization and Auxiliary
Reports. A copy of the proposed information collection request (ICR)
and/or the reporting forms can be obtained by contacting the office
listed below in the addressee section of this notice.

DATES: Written comments must be submitted to the office listed in the
addressee section below on or before August 30, 1996. The Department of
Labor is particularly interested in comments which:
evaluate whether the proposed collection of information is
necessary for the proper performance of the functions of the agency,
including whether the information will have practical utility;
evaluate the accuracy of the agency's estimate of the
burden of the proposed collection of information, including the
validity of the methodology and assumptions used;
enhance the quality, utility, and clarity of the
information to be collected; and
minimize the burden of the collection of information on
those who are to respond, including the use of appropriate automated,
electronic, mechanical, or other technological collection techniques or
other forms of information technology, e.g., permitting electronic
submissions of responses.

ADDRESSEE: John Kotch, Deputy Assistant Secretary, Office of Labor-
Management Standards, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution
Avenue, NW., Room N-5605, Washington, DC 20210, (202) 219-7337 (this is
not a toll-free number). Fax number: (202) 219-6459.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Background: Congress enacted the Labor-Management Reporting and
Disclosure Act of 1959, as amended (LMRDA), to provide for the
disclosure of information on the financial transactions and
administrative practices of labor organizations. The statute also
provides, under certain circumstances, for reporting by labor
organization officers and employees, employers, labor relations
consultants, and surety companies. Section 208 of the LMRDA authorizes
the Secretary to issue rules and regulations prescribing the form of
the required reports. The reporting provisions were devised to
implement a basic tenet of the LMRDA: the guarantee of democratic
procedures and safeguards within labor organizations that are designed
to protect the basic rights of union members. Section 205 of the LMRDA
provides that the reports are public information.

Current Actions: The Department of Labor is seeking extension of
the current approval of the collection of information with the minor
modification of reducing the total burden hours by 61 due to the
elimination of Form LM-6 ( a signature sheet for labor organizations
held in trusteeship). An extension is necessary because the LMRDA
explicitly requires the reporting and establishes the frequency of the
required filings. The information collected by OLMS is used by union
members to help self-govern their unions, by the general public, and as
research material for both outside researchers and within the
Department of Labor. The information is also used to assist DOL and
other government agencies in detecting improper practices on the part
of labor organizations, their officers and/or representatives, and is
used by Congress in oversight and legislative functions. OLMS receives
approximately 800 requests per month for public disclosure of reports.

III

Type of Review: Extension.

Agency: Office of Labor-Management Standards.

Title: Labor Organization and Auxiliary Reports.

OMB Number: 1214-0001.

VII

Agency Number: 1294.

VIII

Reporting and Recordkeeping Burden Summary:

[[Page 33946]]

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Total Total
Cite/reference respondents Frequency responses Average time per response Burden hours
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Form LM-1............................ 330 Annually.......................... 330 55 minutes................... 302
Form LM-2............................ 5,096 Annually.......................... 5,096 15.25 hours.................. 77,714
Form LM-3............................ 16,275 Annually.......................... 16,275 6.75 hours................... 109,857
Form LM-4............................ 14,000 Annually.......................... 14,000 .86 hours.................... 12,086
Form LM-10........................... 177 Annually.......................... 177 35 minutes................... 104
Form LM-15........................... 732 As Necessary...................... 732 1.83 hours................... 1,342
Form LM-15A.......................... 61 Semi-Annually..................... 61 22 minutes................... 22
Form LM-16........................... 224 As Necessary...................... 224 21 minutes................... 78
Form LM-20........................... 168 As Necessary...................... 168 22 minutes................... 61
Form LM-21........................... 50 Annually.......................... 50 35 minutes................... 29
Form LM-30........................... 78 Annually.......................... 78 35 minutes................... 46
Form S-1............................. 200 Annually.......................... 200 35 minutes................... 117
Simplified Annual Report Format...... 3,298 Annually.......................... 3,298 12 minutes................... 671
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Total............................ 40,689 .................................. 40,689 ............................. 202,429
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Total Burden Cost (capital/startup): There are no capital/startup
costs. Any capital investments including computers and software are
excluded from the regulatory definition of burden as capital
investments which are usual and customary expenses incurred by persons
in the normal course of their business.
Total Burden Cost (operating/maintaining): Total burden costs to
respondents and recordkeepers is estimated to be $3,844,296. The cost
estimates are based on wage rate data obtained from the Bureau of Labor
Statistics for personnel employed in service industries (i.e.,
accountant, accounting clerk, attorney, personnel, manager/supervisor,
etc.). The estimates used for labor union officials were obtained from
the annual financial reports filed with OLMS.
Comments submitted in response to this comment request will be
summarized and/or included in the request for Office of Management and
Budget approval of the information collection request; they will also
become a matter of public record.

Dated: June 25, 1996.
John Kotch,
Deputy Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 96-16704 Filed 6-28-96; 8:45 am]
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