The word is on the street today that a new NLRB ruling will broaden the legal definition of the term "supervisor," a move nursing activists claim is a tactic designed to bust unionization in their ranks. The NRLB has not officially released its ruling on the Oakwood Healthcare case, the most prominent of several pending cases touching on the right of RNs and other workers to unionize. But the California Nurses Association says that the news is already out about how the NLRB plans to rule and it's striking back with a press offensive.
According to one analysis, the pending decision could reclassify groups of workers from 447 professions as "supervisors," making them ineligible for union representation. Nursing activists are afraid that anyone who delegates work of any kind will be reclassified as a supervisor, including temporary "charge nurses," which could change work relationships considerably. Such a decision would impact 8 million RNs, making them the trade group most affected by the decision. The American Hospital Association, for its part, has filed briefs with the NLRB requesting a broader definition of supervisory status.
To get more background on the NRLB dispute:
- read this release from the CNA
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