The AFL-CIO is attempting to permanently block the implementation of a new regulation issued by the Labor Department. The rule forces large labor unions to disclose financial information such as how much they spend on various activities. Union leaders say that they do not have the time to spend on the new reporting requirements and claim that it places an undue burden on them. A spokesman for the Labor Department defended the new regulations by saying that rank-and-file union members have a right to know how their dues are being spent
See "Unions Sue to Block New Rule", The Washington Post, December 1, 2003