Bush Trying to Redefine Labor Unions out of Existence
Attention all working Americans. Here is a test: see if you can tie your shoe and say “Ugg!” at the same time. You passed! Congrats! You are now a supervisor. No, you aren't getting a pay raise or any additional authority or job responsibilities. But your new promotion means that you are no longer eligible to join a union. Cool, huh?
Under cover of darkness (Bush’s standard M.O.), the Bush Administration has been pulling the rug out from under millions of workers. The National Labor Relations Board, like every other government agency, has been stocked with Bush cronies. Last year the NLRB quietly redefined millions of job positions as “supervisory.” These millions of new “supervisors” don’t have hiring or firing authority or any of the other powers you associate with the word “supervisor.” But since they're now “supervisors” these employees are now ineligible for union membership.
There's a bill working its way through Congress, the RESPECT Act (H.R. 1644 and S. 969). This law will clearly define the term “supervisor” and make the National Labor Relations Board unable to sabotage millions of working people through these slippery stealth tactics (or at least this particular stealth tactic).
Please click here to ask your Senators and Congressperson to co-sponsor the RESPECT Act. It’s already hard enough to make ends meet without having to be constantly fending off one sleight-of-hand Dumbya maneuver after another.
Labels: HR 1644, National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, RESPECT Act, S 969
posted by Tom Harper @ 4:00 PM
21 Comments:
And the extreme Right will say the bill is frivolous. Why is Bush so bent on destroying America as we know it?
Kip 152: Oh yeah, the Right will have their talking points at the ready. It's frivolous; it's well-intentioned but it'll hurt the people it's supposed to be helping; it'll ruin the economy; etc.
As we say in french: "N'importe quoi!" ("Anything!").
Neocons and corporate stoogies will try and do anything to diminish unions.
Here in Canada, there are laws which protect the right to unionize - laws which are respected/cemented in NAFTA (i.e. a company or corporation cannot challenge such specific laws to render them null and void). Look at what happened to Wal Mart (especially in Québec) - they tried to stiffle rights to unionize and were found wanting.
However, sometimes, there are those unions (or rather, union members) who go too far with their demands and such - we in Québec are especially stuck with such a problem (for instance, it is not uncommon that janitors or maintenance workers in hospitals have a higher salary than starting professors or nurses!).
Hence, it is all a question of balance ... but there is no doubt whatsoever that unions are a *must* to protect the rights and benefits of employees, including salary-wise. History has demonstrated this, and the current situation in the states (as well as elswhere in the world) reinforces the point.
After all, it is the nature of the beast, that companies and corporations are, to take advantage and exploit their employees ... for the sake of the bottom line.
Mentarch: Sounds like Canada takes a balanced approach. It's true that unions can be excessive, but we sure need them. Unions brought us the weekend, paid vacations, health benefits and retirement pensions. The corporatocracy has been yanking away those last 2 benefits and they'd love to do away with everything else that unions have given us. We can't let this happen.
I think the time for bills to come before the Hose with benefit for big business, Oil, and pharmaceutical are over.
Hi Tom!
I've added your blog to my blogroll.. ;)
Unbelievable. Except I believe it. Is there a source document on the Bush program available?
BushCo has gutted everything good about our country, and must be stopped.
Let's Talk: Yes, that time needs to be over. Most of the people think this, but King George disagrees.
Susie Q (S-Q): Thanks. I have your site linked too.
Prague Twin: Yup, like so many other Bush agendas, it's unbelievable. Do you mean a link to this story? I got my post from an e-mail that I got yesterday, but a Google search for "NLRB workers supervisors" will bring up lots of sites.
Lizzy: Yup, "gutted" is the word, and it's definitely time to put a stop to this.
I agree with L.T. and Lizzy!!! Screw Shrub & Co.
Tom, I signed the petition and passed it on. Thanks for drawing attention to this important issue. Someone needs to stand up and fight for average, working class Americans. We have to keep the elite Repubs. from eliminating or further weakening our unions!!
Tom:
Please go read the latest post at Lydia Cornell's blog.
Funkytown Fighter: Yup, I think we're all agreed on that, screw Shrub and Co.
Leo: Thanks for signing the petition. If conservatives want to derail unions, let them come out from under their rocks and put it to a vote in broad daylight.
Larry: Thanks. Much appreciated. I left a comment at Lydia's site.
Mentarch, any chance Canada could invade US? Please?
"Should any political party attempt to abolish social security,
unemployment insurance, and eliminate labor laws and farm programs, you
would not hear of that party again in our political history. There is a
tiny splinter group, of course, that believes that you can do these things.
Among them are a few Texas oil millionaires, and an occasional politician
or businessman from other areas. Their number is negligible and they are
stupid.
----President Dwight D. Eisenhower, 1952-----
Kip152: We could do worse.
Larry: Excellent quote from Eisenhower. How times have changed. He'd get some serious Swiftboating if he was around today.
That Eisenhower. He must have been some moonbat that hated America.
Tom: agreed, absolutely!
Kip152: we will in due time (LOL) ;-)
However, we have to get rid of the creeping neocon infection in our own country first ...
But we are fighting *hard* and, optimistically speaking, we will quickly reverse this adverse neocon illness condition which has assailed us ...
Stay tuned ;-)
Mike: Yeah, whoever that Eisenhower dude is, he's undoubtedly some treehugging flagburner.
Mentarch: If you guys invaded, Cheney's age-old prediction might come to pass. You guys actually might be "greeted as liberators."
The administration proves once again that it takes a fascist approach to such things. One of the signs of fascism is viewing labor as an enemy. This administration definitely does this.
In a country like ours, where corporations and government have mixed almost completely, the corporations will certainly want to see labor unions redefined out of existence, or crushed outright. Corporate lobbyists write much of our legislation, corporations set policy for the environment, for our energy policy, for our health industry... and they surely want to keep their power. With a timid partner like the Republican party, who will reward them for their financial support by giving return support for the legislation they write and propose, it is really a very sweet deal. Unions stand in the way of our corporatocracy achieving its goals. Wealth and power trump reason, and the country goes to hell in a handbasket.
Sorry to be such a negatorian, but it just does seem to get worse and worse.
Snave: You're right, corporations and government have practically fused into one giant monolith, accountable to nobody. They used to fight against unions with clubs and guns; now they're using "painless" stealth methods instead.
Yes, corporations are definitely writing most of the laws regarding the environment, health care, labor, etc. Congress is pretty much just a middleman. I hope we can all hold out until January 2009 when that malignant polyp leaves the White House (assuming he will).
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