Freedom Foundation files complaint against AFSCME Council 28 with U.S. Department of Labor

Freedom Foundation files complaint against AFSCME Council 28 with U.S. Department of Labor

Freedom Foundation files complaint against AFSCME Council 28 with U.S. Department of Labor

The Freedom Foundation has filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards alleging the Washington Federation of State Employees/American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 28 (WFSE) has violated various provisions of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA).

Among the allegations made in the 184-page complaint are that the union has failed to properly file reports about its governance and finances as required by the law. The alleged violations span a period of multiple years.

Passed in 1959 after growing reports of corruption within the labor movement, the LMRDA provides baseline requirements to promote transparency and accountability among unions towards their members. It applies to all unions representing at least some private-sector workers but does not encompass unions consisting exclusively of state or municipal employees.

While WFSE is the largest union of state workers in Washington state, it represents some employees subject to the LMRDA and is therefore covered by the law’s requirements.

Though WFSE claims to represent about 46,000 state employees, only about 70 percent are dues-paying members, a percentage that has steadily declined since the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2018 ruling in Janus v. AFSCME freed public employees from mandatory union dues/fees.

Director of Research and Government Affairs
mnelsen@freedomfoundation.com
As the Freedom Foundation’s Director of Research and Government Affairs, Maxford Nelsen leads the team working to advance the Freedom Foundation’s mission through strategic research, public policy advocacy, and labor relations. Max regularly testifies on labor issues before legislative bodies and his research has formed the basis of several briefs submitted to the U.S. Supreme Court. Max’s work has been published in local newspapers around the country and in national outlets like the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Hill, National Review, and the American Spectator. His work on labor policy issues has been featured in media outlets like the New York Times, Fox News, and PBS News Hour. He is a frequent guest on local radio stations like 770 KTTH and 570 KVI. From 2019-21, Max was a presidential appointee to the Federal Service Impasses Panel within the Federal Labor Relations Authority, which resolves contract negotiation disputes between federal agencies and labor unions. Prior to joining the Freedom Foundation in 2013, Max worked for WashingtonVotes.org and the Washington Policy Center and interned with the Heritage Foundation. Max holds a labor relations certificate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and graduated magna cum laude from Whitworth University with a bachelor’s degree in political science. A Washington native, he lives in Olympia with his wife and sons.