Dear Voice@Work e-Activist,

At a time when working people are squeezed as never before, and Washington isn’t listening to America’s workers, the Bush administration is making things even worse by slashing workers’ rights at every turn. 

The National Labor Relations Board appointed by President Bush has refused to hear oral arguments as it considers three cases that could reshape basic workplace rights and further erode our freedom to form unions. This is an outrage that must be reversed!

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The cases focus on the definition of “supervisor.” If that definition is broadened to include skilled, experienced workers who sometimes instruct co-workers, hundreds of thousands of workers could lose their contract protections and union rights.

As vital as these cases are, and despite pressure from Congress and the public, Bush’s labor board has refused to hear oral arguments. In fact, the Bush board hasn’t heard ANY oral arguments since 2001.

Please urge your members of Congress to tell NLRB Chairman Robert J. Battista to reverse the decision not to hear oral arguments in these critical cases.

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Very soon, the NLRB will decide on the three cases, together known as the “Kentucky River” cases, that will determine the definition of supervisor. Because workers classified as supervisors do not have federal labor law protections, the basic union rights of hundreds of thousands of workers are at risk—from charge nurses to workers in the building trades, broadcast, energy, shipping and other industries.

The NLRB’s arrogant refusal to hear workers’ voices through oral arguments is just another example of the Bush-appointed, corporate-loving board working to throttle the power of working people.  Bush’s labor board has a history of conducting its business without the thorough public debate that oral arguments provide. 

Please urge your members of Congress to tell Chairman Battista to listen for a change and hear oral arguments in the Kentucky River cases.

http://www.unionvoice.org/campaign/kentuckyriver

Thank you for protecting workers’ rights.

In solidarity,

Voice@Work Campaign, AFL-CIO

P.S. Starting July 10, the AFL-CIO and its affiliates will come together in a national week of action to make sure the Bush labor board hears our voices. Since they won’t hear us in oral arguments, they can hear us in the streets. We’ll send you more details on how to take part as the date approaches.