Rep. Summer Lee, House Labor Leaders Demand Answers Over Corporate Union-Busting, Enforcement of Federal Transparency Laws

Full Letter Text

PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 2, 2026 - Today, Congresswoman Summer L. Lee (PA-12) joined House Education and Workforce Committee Ranking Member Robert C. "Bobby" Scott (VA-03) and Subcommittee on Health, Employment, Labor, and Pensions Ranking Member Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10) in demanding answers from the Trump Administration over its failure to adequately enforce federal transparency laws governing corporations and union-busting consultants.

In a letter to Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) Director Elisabeth Messenger, the lawmakers raised serious concerns about widespread failures by employers and anti-union consultants to disclose how much money they spend attempting to influence workers' decisions to organize.

Too often, when workers exercise their right to organize a union, corporations and bosses hire outside consultants to wage anti-union campaigns. Over the last several decades, union-avoidance has become a multi-billion-dollar industry. The latest analysis found that companies spend approximately $1.7 billion every year, including nearly $500 million on union-busting consultants, to break their organizing drives. Some consultants are reportedly paid $500 per hour or $4,000 per day for their services.

Under the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA), employers and consultants are required to file public reports about their matter because it allows workers to see how much their bosses are spending to influence their decision to unionize. However, for decades, employers and union-busting consultants have routinely failed to meet this requirement, allowing bosses and their consultants to operate in the shadows. Under the Trump Administration, the problem is only becoming worse. A recent watchdog report found that, as of August 8, 2026, nearly 60 percent of employers required to file a disclosure in 2025 have still not submitted their reports-the largest year-over-year decline on record.

"Over the last several years, while worker organizing has skyrocketed, employers have increasingly responded with hostile anti-union campaigns, including by hiring well-compensated outside consultants. As more employers seek to quash their workers' unionization drives, it is imperative that employer and consultant disclosure requirements under the LMRDA are robustly enforced by OLMS, so workers have a complete picture of who is attempting to influence their decision as they exercise their right to organize," wrote the Members.

To determine whether OLMS is effectively carrying out its responsibility to enforce the LMRDA, the Members requested a response to their extensive questions by no later than November 16, 2026.

To read the full letter to OLMS Director Elisabeth Messenger, click here.

Congresswoman Summer Lee serves on the House Committee on Judiciary and the Committee on Education and Workforce. Since taking office in January 2023, shehas delivered historic levels of federal investment totaling over $2.7 Billion brought back to Western PA, including over $580 million for infrastructure, over $110 million for affordable transit, over $500 million to keep clean energy manufacturing at home in Pennsylvania, and over $55 million on clean energy efforts in and around schools to help keep our kids and communities safe. These investments will help improve Western Pennsylvania's infrastructure and transit, ensure cleaner air and drinking water, lower housing costs, fund research institutions, fuel clean manufacturing, fund STEM innovation and entrepreneurship, boost workforce development, and create thousands of good paying union jobs.  Lee and her team have also delivered casework and constituent services to over 4,000 constituents with issues ranging from helping our seniors and disabled community access Medicare and social security to helping folks secure housing and helping families with immigration support and passports.