Christian Conservative

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Transparent motives

"Transparency" has been a watchword of the Obama administration—but it recently rolled back financial transparency rules for labor unions, according to a report by The Washington Times.

The Labor Department rules, intended to guard against corruption of union leaders, required officials to report detailed compensation and travel expenses. The agency's explanation of the repeal said the rules that govern union officials' conflict-of-interest reports were not a "good use of resources." However, the Office of Labor-Management Standards at the department has restored $91.5 million in misused dues to union members since 2001.

Deborah Greenfield was a lawyer for the AFL-CIO last year who sued the agency to repeal the rules, and she is now a high-ranking official at the Labor Department, appointed by President Obama. Agency spokespeople declined to explain Greenfield's role in the decision but said she followed ethical guidelines.

http://www.worldmag.com/articles/15387?CFID=4445274&CFTOKEN=63535607