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Republican-Controlled NLRB Decision a ‘Disgrace’ |
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Communications Workers of America (CWA) President Larry Cohen has one word for last week’s ruling by the Bush-backed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that could exclude up to 8 million workers from forming unions: Disgrace.
Vowing to mobilize hundreds of thousands of CWA members to dedicate 10 hours each to talk with co-workers, friends and families about the November elections and the need to reject anti-worker candidates, Cohen writes:
There has never been a Labor Board in the history of this country that has done more to destroy collective bargaining rights. There is nothing like it anywhere among democratic countries in our global economy.
Ruling in Oakwood Healthcare Inc., a case involving nurses, the NLRB expanded the definition of supervisor for dozens of categories of employees, including building trades workers, media employees and building and construction trades workers. Supervisors are prohibited by federal labor law from forming unions. The ruling’s broad definitions for determining who is a supervisor invites employers to classify nurses and many low-level employees with minor authority as supervisors. The board also ruled that a worker can be classified as a supervisor if he or she spends as little as 10 percent to 15 percent of his or her time overseeing the work of others.
Dozens of cases regarding the supervisory status of workers waiting for decision by the NLRB now are being sent back, giving the opportunity to craft new arguments in line with the Oakwood ruling, and so bar workers from joining unions. The decision was issued Sept. 29 but not released until Oct. 3.
Working families are planning protests around the country and along with the AFL-CIO, are calling for Congress to act to reverse the NLRB rulings. Click here to tell your members of Congress the Bush administration has gone too far and you will hold them accountable for how they respond.
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