The Landrum-Griffin Act, also known as the Labor Management Reporting and Disclosure Act, was enacted in response to congressional investigations into union corruption from 1957 to 1959. The purpose of the law is to establish basic ways of unions operating to ensure a democratic process, to provide union members with a minimum bill of rights attached to union membership, and to regulate the activities of union officials and the use of union funds.
The act provides a bill of rights for union members in response to union abuses actually found during the two-year congressional investigation. The act also set forth specific procedures to be followed when unions hold elections, including voting for officers by secret ballot, holding elections at least every three years (other times for different levels of the union, such as international officers), candidates being able to see lists of eligible voters, and procedures for having an election declared improper. Provisions also were enacted to safeguard union funds.