Dave Loebsack Wants R.E.S.P.E.C.T.

Dave Loebsack wrote:

"The National Labor Relations Board issued a regulation in September of 2006 that expanded the definition of the term "supervisor." This new definition limits the rights of union-member employees and also hampers their ability to retain protections under federal labor law.

The Re-Empowerment of Skilled and Professional Employees and Construction Tradesworkers (RESPECT) Act would again redefine "supervisor" to require the definition to include individuals who have authority over employees for a majority of that time at work. It would also remove the requirement that the supervisor have the authority to assign other employees or the responsibility to direct them. If the current ruling from the National Labor Relations Board stands, thousands of workers will lose their eligibility to organize and form unions in the places of work.

I am co-sponsor, and strong supporter, of this bill and am working with my colleagues to ensure passage before the full House of Representatives. In September, I was proud to vote in favor of this bill's passage in the House Education and Labor Committee. Thank you again for contacting me about this important issue. I encourage you to visit my website at www.loebsack.house.gov and sign up for my e-newsletters to stay informed of the work I'm doing in Congress. I am proud to serve Iowa's Second District, and I am committed to working hard for you."

What Writers Do When They Are On Strike...And The Media Companies Who Love Them

From You Tube (who is being sued for $1 Billion dollars)-- a humorous look at worker's rights...

Edwards Speaks On Behalf of Laid Off Maytag Workers

From the LA Times

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards criticized executive pay and declining worker benefits Friday in an economic-policy speech timed to the closing of an iconic Iowa manufacturer.

The former North Carolina senator called for universal retirement savings accounts that would follow workers from job to job, universal healthcare, and stronger corporate-responsibility laws and consumer protections. Edwards also pledged to create new credits where savings of up to $500 a year would be matched by the government, something he would pay for by raising capital gains taxes for high-income households.

But it was his introduction by a former assembly line worker that helped stir the crowd. Doug Bishop, a burly former Maytag Corp. worker, does not look like the type to fight tears in front of a room full of people.

For many in Iowa, this was an emotional week, as Maytag closed its last production line Thursday in Newton, sending home 550 workers for the last time. For the first time in 114 years, Maytag products will no longer be produced in the company's longtime home. Whirlpool Corp., which bought Maytag last year, closed the plant.

Bishop said he would never forget what Edwards told his son when he met him in 2004 as Sen. John Kerry's running mate: " 'I'm going to keep fighting for your daddy's job.' "