Guzman v. Local 32B-32J, Service Employees International Union

CUDAHY, Circuit Judge:

Federal labor law regulates the election of union officers. It specifies how often elections must be held and imposes various rules on the distribution of campaign literature, see 29 U.S.C. §§ 481-483, in order to “ensure free and democratic union elections,” see International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots v. Brown, 498 U.S. 466, 476, 111 S.Ct. 880, 112 L.Ed.2d 991 (1991). If a union pays for the distribution of one candidate’s campaign literature, it must also, at the request of “any other bona fide candidate,” pay for the distribution of the opposing…