The Bush-appointed National Labor Relations Board (NCRB) is set to rule on three cases that could reclassify millions of workers (and thousands of AFSCME members) as “supervisors.”

Have you ever checked the work of a colleague, lead others on a project or made assignments? You could become a ’supervisor’ overnight – with no pay increase, of course.

And if you’re reclassified as a supervisor, you could lose your union membership, your overtime pay and your bargaining rights.

Today workers held a huge rally at the AFL-CIO headquarters in Washington,DC. And workers are taking to the streets across the country to pressure the NLRB and to call on Congress to demand that NLRB Chairman Robert J. Battista let us testify against these new classifications.

Click here to tell Congress that we must be heard at these hearings.

Click here to find a week of action event near you.

Two weeks ago, the AFSCME organizing committee at New Mexico State University learned that a co-worker and union activist was going to lose her job because the university was eliminating her position. She was not offered any rights under the school’s layoff policy and was not given any formal notice. Organizing committee members, now experienced with taking action, wrote a letter to the Dean and Human Resources Director, and had it signed by 40 Council 18 members. Their action moved the administration to respond to the worker and to our official request to bargain over the impact of the layoff. As a result, the future AFSCME member got another job and a promotion at NMSU, and will be around to fight for a strong union contract.

Another fine example of ridiculous anti-worker policies that just don’t make sense. Policy bans newspapers, magazines in city trucks, From Tom Troy of The Toledo Blade.

City of Toledo truck drivers who use their coffee breaks and lunch half-hour to read a newspaper to catch up on sports or a favorite comic may want to consider taking up meditation. A new policy from the management of the Division of Streets, Bridges, and Harbor prohibits the possession of newspapers and magazines in vehicles owned by the division. …The new policy has caused some consternation among employees of the division, said Don Czerniak, head of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 7. “You’re telling me that even on a time period that I’m not being paid for, you’re going to control my right to read the newspaper?” Mr. Czerniak asked.

When the division considers extending this policy to include bathrooms, prepare for armed revolt.

The Supreme Court’s recent verdict in favor of a forklift operator who was sexually harassed on the job … then punished by her boss is a significant victory for working women. Charlotte Fishman’s take on the ruling is noteworthy:

Discrimination is a complex phenomenon and we know that the glass ceiling for women is held in place as much by micro-iniquities as it is by disparate treatment with clear economic consequences. In the workplace, as in life, even little things can mean a lot.

Get the full story here http://www.alternet.org/workplace/38541/

There’s been so much bad news on the health care front for working Americans that it makes us sick. Except, if you do get sick you probably can’t afford it. From a failed prescription drug plan for seniors to cutbacks in Medicaid to pay for tax cuts, the Bush Administration is doing just about everything wrong. Reading about it in the press on these efforts is one thing, but hearing first hand from AFSCME members about what they are going through is another. Here’s what one member is facing, in his own words.

I am a father of 3 school-aged children, and the husband of a full-time worker. I am a state worker for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. We continue to get contracts with 1 percent to 3 percent COLA, which never keeps up with the rising costs of health care. My deductibles have gone up. My office visit co-pays have gone up. My prescription co-pays have gone up. We need our government to take a hard, strong look at these health care companies and the profits they make off the working class.

Hey, George, are you listening? Real Americans. Real problems with health care. When will you realize we need a real solution?

The threat to voting rights is real. Across the country, right-minded groups and individuals are waking up to the real danger we are in. Here’s what and e-mail today from Caroline Frederickson, Director of the Washington Legislative Office of the ACLU, has to say:

A small group of Southern lawmakers have derailed a House vote to renew expiring provisions of the Voting Rights Act (VRA), the landmark law that has protected the right to vote for millions of Americans. They want to gut the act and make it easier to discriminate against minority voters. Not surprisingly, these lawmakers represent states with the worst records of continued voting discrimination.

Despite strong bipartisan support for the bill, a small group of extremists are threatening to stop it from being renewed. If you haven’t called your representative about supporting the bill, do so now! Minorities and working families are those most discriminated against when it comes to voting rights. AFSCME members around the country should stand together to make sure the future of voting is secured for all – it’s an American right!