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Behind closed doors, the National Labor Relations Board is poised to issue decisions that could strip millions of workers of their right to have a union at work--all without holding public hearings.

Give workers a voice: Demand the NLRB hold hearings on these important cases!

Dear Judy,

Give Workers a Voice

Take Action Now!
Behind closed doors at a little-known government agency, five individuals appointed by President Bush will decide the fate of millions of America’s workers.

This is no conspiracy theory. The National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is poised to issue decisions in three groundbreaking cases that could strip millions of workers of their right to have a union at work—all without holding public hearings.

These workers—nurses, quality control inspectors, sales representatives, and many others—should get a chance to speak about a decision that directly impacts their lives and their freedoms. But the NLRB is ignoring past precedent and refuses to hold public hearings!

Give these workers a voice—ask Congress to demand the NLRB hold hearings on these important cases.

In these three cases, the NLRB will decide whether to reclassify certain types of workers as supervisors. But instead of benefiting employees, the reclassification would solely benefit employers. The ‘title change’ to supervisor doesn’t come with a raise or a promotion, just the automatic loss of the right to form a union!

Such a decision could not only deny millions of workers the opportunity to form a union in the future, but longtime union members could suddenly lose representation when their contracts run out. And revoking the right of these individuals to have a union means the loss of a number of rights and protections on the job. With a decision so important to anti-union employers, is it any wonder the Bush NLRB is trying to act in secret?

The stakes are just too high! The NLRB shouldn’t be allowed to hide from the public—tell Congress to call for hearings on these decisions.

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/ campaign/nlrb_hearings/ww6bgs7rp7w8bik?

The threat to workers is real: In the past few years, the Bush NLRB has already stripped graduate research assistants and disabled employees of their right to form unions. And in 2004, the Department of Labor reclassified broad swaths of workers, denying them the ability to receive overtime pay.

We can’t let them get away with this kind of offense again.

Contact your representatives in Congress and ask them to urge the NLRB to allow for hearings on these crucial cases:

http://action.americanrightsatwork.org/ campaign/nlrb_hearings/ww6bgs7rp7w8bik?

Thank you for giving a voice to these workers.

Liz Cattaneo,
American Rights at Work
www.americanrightsatwork.org

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Stop Bush’s NLRB from Taking Away Your Freedom to Form a Union

Have you ever shown a co-worker how to perform a task or been asked to look over someone else's work? If so, your freedom to form a union and bargain collectively is in danger. The Bush-packed National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) is considering three cases that could alter the definition of supervisor—and that could mean hundreds of thousands of nurses, building trades workers, newspaper and television employees and others could be prohibited from forming unions.

A decision in favor of employers in these three cases, known collectively as "Kentucky River," could further erode workers' freedom to form unions by expanding the definition of supervisor. Under federal labor law, supervisors are barred from forming unions.

At eight New Jersey hospitals, some 7,000 nurses and other health care workers threatened to strike to protect nurses' right to speak out for their patients through their union.

During the week of July 10, union members took to the streets in a week of action to fight for their right to union membership. See photos of AFL-CIO union movement actions at the NLRB's headquarters and around the country.

Thousands more union members have asked their members of Congress to appeal to the labor board for an opportunity to provide oral arguments. The NLRB, which has not heard oral arguments since the Bush administration took office, denied these requests.

Take Action
Don't let the NLRB enable opportunistic employers to take away your rights.

* Ask Congress to urge the NLRB to reverse its decision and allow oral arguments in this case.
* Read the AFL-CIO Now blog posts on the Kentucky River cases.
* AFL-CIO Now blog: American Workers’ Freedom to Form Unions Threatened Under Bush NLRB.
* Download the Amicus briefs filed by the AFL-CIO and its Building and Construction Trades Department on the "Kentucky River" decisions.
* Read more about how the Kentucky River decision could impact you.