Statement by Edward J. McElroy, President, American Federation of Teachers, on the International Labor Organization's Decision on NLRB's Oakwood Ruling 

The International Labor Organization (ILO) issued a decision saying the National Labor Relations Board’s 2006 Oakwood ruling went too far by overstretching the definition of “supervisor.” The NLRB’s ruling will potentially reclassify more than 800,000 registered nurses and licensed practical nurses as supervisors under the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA excludes those with genuine managerial or supervisory authority from union protection and the right to collective bargaining.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The ILO’s decision vindicates the labor movement’s position that the NLRB’s Oakwood ruling was wrong. The decision shows that the NLRB’s ruling was yet another Bush administration assault on workers’ rights. But in this case, it hurts not only workers, but also patients.   Nurses and other healthcare professionals rely on union protection so they can speak out about patient care problems without fear of losing their jobs. The AFT will continue to fight against Oakwood and any other NLRB decision that denies workers their right to freely join a union. 

The NLRB’s ruling will potentially redefine hundreds of thousands of nurses and other professionals as supervisors because they have occasional oversight and supervisory duties. The ILO found that expanding the supervisor definition violated international freedom of association standards.  As a member of the ILO, the United States is required to observe international core labor standards.

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