Yet at the same time, union-funded politicians in Congress are successfully pushing forward in their campaign to slash the budget for the Department of Labor agency responsible for overseeing how union leaders spend their members’ money. Think of this organization — the Office of Labor-Management Standards — as the SEC for unions.

There’s rank hypocrisy in this union ploy. Worse, there are real-world consequences for union members.

Given its mission, the OLMS offers critical protection for union members who have little power to stand up to Big Labor, a $10 billion-a-year industry. The agency uses its already-meager budget and authority to step in when corrupt union officials rig internal union elections.

More importantly, OLMS investigates abuse of dues money and monitors compliance with accounting requirements. It’s getting the job done. Since 2001 the courts have ordered restitution of $70 million in OLMS criminal cases. That’s real union money that union bosses are really trying to keep covered up.

Administration officials also contend that OLMS has made significant progress in enforcing regulations that promote transparency and financial integrity, but there is still much room for improvement. According to the Department of Labor, there have been some 760 convictions in the last six years by OLMS for stealing union funds, a 26 percent increase, and over $70 million worth of restitution has been court ordered.

An analysis from the Center for Union Facts based on documents obtained via a Freedom of Information Act request found that only 43 out of 643 union audits — that’s a dismal 6 percent — by OLMS passed muster.