Nurses nationwide are planning to weigh in loudly this weekend on an upcoming ruling by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). The ruling in question could potentially reclassify hundreds of thousands of nurses as supervisors. Should the NLRB decided to broaden the definition of supervisor, it would make many RNs ineligible for union representation. Needless to say, nurses are outraged by the situation. They view a negative decision as an erosion of their rights as workers, an attack on a mostly-female work force and an overall threat to the future number of RNs. Protests are scheduled to take place in Los Angeles and Oakland, CA; Bangor, ME and Chicago, IL.
The three cases the NLRB is reviewing are known as Oakwood Healthcare, Golden Crest Healthcare Center and Croft Metals. The question surrounding the issue arises from a 2001 U.S. Supreme Court decision that stated the NLRB incorrectly assessed the status of six RNs in Kentucky. Nurses fear that the recent addition of three Republican members to the NLRB will swing the decision in favor businesses instead of workers.
- read this The Boston Globe article
- see the press release from the California Nurses Association