Connecticut Workers Seek to Enforce Union Financial Transparency Law
Bilodeau & Ormond v. AFSCME, Local 391 & 4Cs
Case Summary
- Connecticut law says unions must file annual financial reports with the state and allows union members to see the records and ask the state to audit them.
- But union officials have ignored the law for decades, and state officials have said they are looking the other way, leaving union members in the dark about how union officials are spending their money.
- In Bilodeau & Ormond v. AFSCME, Local 391 & 4Cs, two public employees are asking the court to require their unions to follow the law and fulfill the promise of transparency for workers.
Unions Appear to Be Ignoring Longstanding Transparency Law
Since 1957, Connecticut law has required public-sector unions with 25 or more members to file annual financial reports with the state labor commissioner and make those records available to union members. The statute also allows members to request that the state audit those reports, creating a basic mechanism for union members to hold union officials accountable.
In practice, however, unions subject to the statute have not filed the required reports for decades. As a result, ordinary members have no realistic way to find out how their unions are using their dues and whether basic financial safeguards are being followed.
“It’s simple: I want to know where my money is going. Right now, it feels like my union dues disappear from my paycheck and go to some faceless, nameless decision-maker upstate who refuses to tell me how much is being spent or why,” said Earl Ormond, a retired law enforcement officer who oversees the criminal justice program at Connecticut State Community College-Naugatuck Valley, and a member of the Congress of Connecticut Community Colleges (or 4Cs).
Union’s Political Activism Prompts Professor to Seek Transparency
Earl says 4Cs frequently promotes political causes that do not reflect his views and that members receive little explanation of how dues are spent.
In one example, the union promoted and passed a Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions resolution that he viewed as anti-Semitic. The resolution condemned Israel for committing “genocide” and “apartheid” and for practicing “forced starvation of Palestinians.”
“If our dues are being used for politics without our consent, members should at least know how much is being spent,” he said.
(Earl Ormond, a professor and attorney, is a plaintiff in Bilodeau & Ormond v. AFSCME, Local 391 & 4Cs. Photo credit: The Fairness Center.)
State Officials Refuse to Enforce the Law
The Connecticut Department of Labor (DOL) has openly acknowledged it does not enforce the reporting requirement because enforcement would cost more than the $25 fine for noncompliance. And labor officials have said they do not have any reports on file.
In an August 8, 2025, letter, Labor Commissioner Danté Bartolomeo complained that complying with a valid state law would be too much trouble, writing, “[T]he fine for unions who don’t submit a report is $25; it costs more in staff time to go after unions who failed to report than the fine covers.”
Because the penalty is minimal and regulators have declined to act, union officials face no real consequences for ignoring the law.
“This is about accountability and transparency. The laws are on the books, and they need to be followed,” said Ryan Bilodeau, a Department of Corrections officer and member of the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), Local 391.
“Nothing should be hidden from the people who are paying the dues. I shouldn’t have to fight just to get basic answers about what’s being done with my money,” he added.
(Ryan Bilodeau, a corrections officer and plaintiff in Bilodeau & Ormond v. AFSCME, Local 391 & 4Cs. Photo credit: The Fairness Center.)
Lawsuit Seeks Order Compelling Unions to Open Their Books
Earl and Ryan are asking the court to step in where regulators have failed. Their lawsuit against AFSCME, Local 391 and the 4Cs asks the court for:
- A declaration that the unions violated the law; and
- An order requiring them to comply with the transparency statute by filing the required financial reports.
The suit argues that when an agency declines to carry out its statutory duties and the legal remedy is essentially meaningless, judicial intervention is necessary to prevent the law from becoming meaningless as well.
At the same time, Earl and Ryan have sent a letter to state Sen. Rob Sampson to raise awareness among legislators that union officials appear to be ignoring a duly enacted state law and that regulators are refusing to enforce it, leaving members with no way to exercise their rights under the statute.
Bilodeau & Ormond v. AFSCME, Local 391 & 4Cs seeks to restore basic accountability, so union members can exercise the rights the law already guarantees.
Case Status & Documents
- Complaint
February 15, 2026 - News Release
February 23, 2026
Bilodeau & Ormond v. AFSCME Local 391 & 4Cs is before the Superior Court of Connecticut, Judicial District of Hartford.
Media
Connecticut should live up to its promise of transparency for union members
Op-Ed | CT Insider
March 17, 2026: “Connecticut enforces plenty of laws not because enforcement is profitable but because the people’s representatives wrote and passed them. The law is the law even if there is no fine attached. We don’t ask police to investigate theft only when the value of what was stolen exceeds the cost of investigation. My clients believe transparency for union members should be no different.”
CT’s unions should be transparent about political activity
Editorial | Republican American
March 16, 2026: “‘I just want to force them to disclose where the money’s being spent,’ [plaintiff Earl Ormond] said. That’s something that every state resident—especially those who attend the community college where he teaches, and others that have unionized workforces—should support.”
It’s time to enforce CT’s union transparency law. An unenforced law protects no one.
Op-Ed | Hartford Courant
March 10, 2026: “[S]ince 1957, unions like mine have had a legal obligation to file annual financial reports with the labor commissioner and make them accessible to members. The law goes even further, allowing members to ask the state to audit those records. In theory, I should have all the information I need. In practice, I’m none the wiser. Union officials, including those in charge of 4Cs, outright ignore the law.”
CT community college professor sues his union, seeks transparency in spending on political activity
News | CT Insider
March 3, 2026: “Ormond is now one of two plaintiffs in a lawsuit he said he hopes will force his union and others in Connecticut to disclose how much money they spend on political activities. . . ‘If they’re proud of where the money’s being spent, you’d think that they would be proud to show it to all of us. And if they are reluctant to do, that makes you kind of wonder, where are they spending the money.’”
Connecticut professor sues union over transparency of dues after anti-Israel vote
News | Cleveland Jewish News
February 24, 2026: “A Connecticut community college professor is suing his union after it adopted an anti-Israel resolution, arguing that members are being kept in the dark about how their dues are spent. Ormond stated that the union convened a statewide Zoom meeting to vote on a resolution accusing Israel of ‘genocide’ and ‘apartheid.’ He said he was ‘shouted down’ and interrupted when he attempted to speak in opposition.”
The spirit of Émile Zola stills cries J’Accuse
Op-ed | Israel National News
February 24, 2026: “During a Zoom meeting where the resolution was discussed before being put to vote, Professor Ormond opposed it and demanded to know why it falsely accused Israel of genocide but failed to mention the horrific atrocities committed by Hamas terrorists on October 7th. . . In addition to objecting to the resolution itself, he wanted to know why his dues were being used to shill for a political cause he opposed.”
CT. Employees Sue Unions for Ignoring Financial Disclosure Law
News Release | The Fairness Center
February 23, 2026: “Two Connecticut public employees filed a lawsuit against their unions, alleging that union officials are flouting state transparency law while state regulators refuse to hold them accountable. For decades, the plaintiffs argue, union members have been denied their legal right to see how union officials are spending their dues money. ”