Hundreds of Workers Gathered at USW Headquarters to Protect Their Union Rights
Eight Million Members Could be Forced Out of Labor Unions because of an upcoming NLRB decision
United Steelworkers headquarters was the site of over 350 Pennsylvania workers July 12, protesting what they fear will be the most serious attack on workers’ rights and collective bargaining in decades.
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The workers from Pittsburgh – along with 17 other cities – helped kick-off a nationwide week of action aimed at the expected ruling of the Bush-appointed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) that could strip eight million working Americans’ of their union contract protections. |
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The NLRB is deciding on three pending cases, referred to as “Kentucky River,” concerning the legal definition of “supervisor.” Unlike other employees, “supervisors” don’t have protection under the National Labor Relations Act to form and join unions. If this definition is broadened to include workers that make schedules or direct other co-workers, more than 100,000 workers in Pennsylvania alone will lose eligibility for union protection under federal law.
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“Today we must stand up together and fight for accountability from the Bush labor board,” said Eileen Rodgers, CNA, Vincention Regency Hall, member of USW Local 9445.
The nursing profession is profoundly impacted by the decisions. Union membership gives nurses a voice on the job and the protection they need to be effective patient advocates. |
“A nurse with the union has the opportunity to work with the confidence to make the tough calls but, more importantly, to be a strong support for the patients on the hospital floor and nursing home,” USW Vice President Fred Redmond said.
According to the Economic Policy Institute, a nonprofit research organization, a bad NLRB ruling could strip 843,000 registered nurses – more than one-third of all the private sector RNs in the country – of union rights and coverage.
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Although the rulings will most directly affect nurses, they will also impact a plethora of other professions, including computer analysts and steelworkers. Under the Taft Hartley Act of 1947, an employee is a supervisor if his or her job “requires the use of independent judgment” or entails “responsibility” to direct other employees. |
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Labor leaders have rallied tens of thousands of union members to help influence the decisions; however, since Republicans have turned a deaf ear to workers, labor leaders are pessimistic the Bush-appointed NLRB will rule in their favor.
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“This labor board has started systematically dismantling the labor movement,” USW President Leo W. Gerard said. “It is about the desire of this right wing administration to de-unionize America, wanting to attack the middle class and to do everything they can to put their friends, the rich and the powerful, in a much higher place.” |
If the NLRB rules against union interests, Gerard threatened that the unions would encourage members to abandon their supervisory responsibilities.
| “If I had to choose between my union and my ability to be a leader, I’ll choose my union,” he said. “We’ll turn every workplace into chaos!” |
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