Dear Mr. Pineda:
Thank you for writing to me to express your views on S.969, the Re-empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradesworkers (RESPECT) Act. I appreciate hearing from you, and I share your strong support for this bill.
As you may know, in October 2006 the National Labor Relations Board issued decisions in three cases, collectively known as the " Kentucky River " cases. These NLRB decisions addressed supervisor classification issues that had been left open by the U.S. Supreme Court's 2001 decision in NLRB v. Kentucky River Community Care, Inc . The NLRB's Bush-appointed majority found that permanent charge nurses exercise supervisory authority and are therefore ineligible for union representation.
The NLRB's decision, which details the technical definition of "supervisor," means that hundreds of thousands of skilled workers will face reclassification and will lose their right to union protection and collective bargaining under the National Labor Relations Act. This is an outrage and a grave disservice to those who have fought and continue to fight for the right of working Americans to form and join unions .
The RESPECT Act would reverse this injustice by modifying the definition of "supervisor" to ensure that no employee is unfairly denied their right to unionize. I am proud to be a co-sponsor of this bill, and I will fight vigorously for its passage.
Again, thank you for writing to me about this important issue. Be assured that I will continue to support the right of working Americans to organize for better wages, be nefits, and working conditions.
Barbara Boxer
United States Senator
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