By Audrey Edwards
Special to the Washington Post
Friday, July 14, 2006; B03
Sandra Falwell has been a registered nurse for 36 years, most recently in the intensive care unit of Children's Hospital.
She does not think her ICU duties make her a supervisor, which would disqualify her from union membership.
So she joined union members and labor supporters -- about 1,000, organizers said -- protesting at the National Labor Relations Board yesterday about pending decisions that could restrict some workers from unions.
"As a supervisor, I will not belong to a union and not be able to fight for collective bargaining rights," said Falwell, 57, who is on the board of the D.C. Nurses Association.
The rally was called to draw attention to three cases. The "Kentucky River" cases hinge on the technical definition of supervisor, a classification that is exempt from union membership.
Wearing T-shirts identifying their union affiliation and carrying signs with slogans such as "Don't Roll Back Workers' Rights" and "Jobs With Justice," the protesters surrounded the building. So many attended that they briefly blocked the building's 14th Street entrance.
Linda Chavez-Thompson, executive vice president of the AFL-CIO, told the crowd that if the labor board broadens the definition, millions of workers could be classified as supervisors.
"It sounds like you just got a nice promotion," she said. "Except what it really means is that your right to join a union just went up in smoke."
The Kentucky River cases focus on the status of nurses at health-care facilities in Michigan and Minnesota and workers for a Mississippi door manufacturer who spend part of their days telling truckers what to unload. All of the cases involve union members who have duties such as scheduling or directing co-workers.
About 30 unions in the area -- including the American Federation of Teachers, United Mine Workers of America and American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees -- attended the hour-long rally.
In what they called an act of civil disobedience, Falwell and seven other protesters marched to 14th NW and L streets, which had been closed to traffic. They were cheered by a crowd at the intersection. Some sang songs and chanted slogans.
After about 15 minutes, the group dispersed, signaling the end of the rally.
