Federally-Funded Labor Union Front Group Lobbied in Violation of IRS Rules

WASHINGTON, April 30, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Today, ROC Exposed released a new report detailing the Restaurant Opportunities Center's (ROC) failure to disclose its lobbying activities at the local, state, and federal levels to the Internal Revenue Service, as required by federal law.  

ROC Exposed has also sent a formal complaint to the IRS requesting that it investigate ROC's lobbying activities and failure to report them.

ROC is a labor union front group disguised as a restaurant industry employment center and watchdog. ROC's tactics include mob-style shakedowns, often employing intimidation and harassment in an effort to force restaurants into submission.

The information in this new report from ROC Exposed is particularly relevant in light of ROC's receipt of federal grant money from the Department of Labor and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as an investigation by the House of Representatives of ROC for its "history of intimidation" towards opponents.

Mike Paranzino, communications director for ROC Exposed, released the following statement:

"The Restaurant Opportunities Center has blatantly violated federal reporting requirements for lobbying activities in its pursuit of more and more anti-business mandates."

"Each year, ROC hosts a 'Counter Lobby Day' in D.C., where ROC staffers and members fly in from around the country to meet with Congress and lobby for the group's preferred policies. ROC spokespersons have also previously lobbied the federal government on behalf of the WAGES Act, and 'spearheaded' paid sick leave and minimum wage legislation at all levels of government."

"They have done all of this while reporting to the IRS that they do not lobby. This means that the organization is in violation of IRS reporting rules as a nonprofit 'Public Charity.' For a group that regularly lectures small business owners on compliance with federal laws, ROC's decision to ignore federal reporting requirements is nothing short of hypocrisy."

For more information visit ROCexposed.com.

ROC Exposed is a nonprofit coalition supported by a broad coalition of restaurant workers, employers, and citizens concerned about ROC's misinformation and attack campaigns against America's restaurants.

SOURCE ROC Exposed