Anti-union rules irk some in GOP 
WASHINGTON (PAI) - Twenty-six GOP House members are asking Labor Secretary Elaine Chao to dump union reporting rules that would cost organized labor 
millions of dollars.

Rep. Jack Quinn (R-N.Y.), a lawmaker known for reaching out to unionists in
his blue-collar Buffalo-centered district, disclosed the April 7 letter to Chao in his speech the next day to the Building Trades Department legislative conference.

"Yesterday, 26 Republicans sent a letter to Chao about this onerous LM-2 
situation," Quinn said, referring to the form unions must file with the government yearly, detailing their expenses.

"Maybe the large international unions here can handle this," he remarked. 
"But if this goes to local unions in Erie County and Chautauqua County (New
York), it'll put them out of business. Well, if that's your reason, why don't you just say so - and not hide behind some kind of reporting mechanism?" Quinn challenged Chao, drawing cheers from the 2,578 conference delegates.

The department proposed the new rules earlier this year, without consulting 
labor at all. They would require local unions to itemize virtually every expense starting at $2,000, and internationals to itemize everything starting at $5,000.

Nothing, from pencils to pay, would be omitted. There are no such specific 
requirements for corporations. AFL-CIO staffers said the Bush administration wants to use the rules to tie up union members, staffers and cash in paperwork.

Industry's stall becoming evident
The value of new construction starts dropped 3 percent in February from the previous month to $483.6 billion, according to McGraw-Hill Construction Dodge.

"Total construction activity during 2003 is expected to see some loss of momentum, and February's mild setback is consistent with that trend," said Robert A. Murray, vice president of economic affairs for McGraw-Hill. "Last year, the brisk pace for single-family housing offset weakness for commercial building, but sluggish employment and shaky consumer confidence are beginning to dampen homebuyer demand. Tighter fiscal conditions are now having a restraining impact on institutional building and public works. The commercial structure types remain generally depressed, but on a positive note, their up and down pattern in recent months suggests that a leveling-off process is under way, following the extended slide witnessed over the past two years."

Total construction during January and February 2003 were down 10 percent from the same period a year ago. McGraw-Hill said that gap should narrow because there was an "unusually high" volume of construction starts in this year's first two months.