UPDATE: Nurses Rally Against Pending NLRB Restrictions

by James Parks, May 25, 2006

Yesterday, we wrote how nurses are fighting back against an expected decision by the Bush National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that could further erode workers’ fundamental freedom to have a voice at work.

Last night, more than 500 people rallied near the Statue of Liberty to kick off a campaign for nurses’ freedom to have a voice at work by RNs Working Together, a coalition of eight AFL-CIO unions representing more than 200,000 registered nurses.

AFL-CIO President John Sweeney told the crowd that even though the NLRB decision initially will affect nurses, every worker’s rights are threatened:

The right of charge nurses and lead professionals to have a voice at work through their unions isn’t just an issue in the health care industry. What the Bush Labor Board is trying to do could enable employers in the building trades, port shipping and manufacturing facilities to reclassify workers as supervisors and strip them of their union protections. These issues affect every worker in every state.

Ann Twomey, president of the Health Professionals and Allied Employees, AFT’s health care affiliate, told the rally:

All the issues we are fighting for have at their core patient safety and the integrity of our profession. Without our unions, we cannot freely advocate for safe staffing, retirement security or our own safety. This is a fight we must win.

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