FederalDaily - October 5, 2006
NLRB Decision Strips Some Workers of Union Rights
Union leaders and some lawmakers expressed dismay over a series of National Labor Relations Board
(NLRB) rulings that have the potential to strip millions of workers of their ability to join a labor
union. In the central decision, the NLRB ruled Oct. 3 that permanent charge nurses employed by the
Oakwood Heritage Hospital, an acute care hospital, exercised supervisory authority in assigning employees.
Therefore the charge nurses are supervisors, rather than employees, and not protected under the National
Labor Relations Act, the ruling said. The impact of the ruling will be far-reaching, said AFL-CIO President
John J. Sweeney. According to the organization, the decision could prevent as many as 8 million workers
from joining unions. John Gage, president of the American Federation of Government Employees, said: “By
denying private-sector employees collective bargaining rights, the NLRB is destroying worker rights
instead of protecting them, the exact opposite of what it was created to do.” Gage said the decision “could
have a devastating effect on employees in both the private and public sector.” Rep. George Miller,
D-Calif., the senior Democrat on the House Education and Workforce Committee, denounced the NLRB’s
ruling. The “decision is the latest in the Bush-appointed NLRB’s legal maneuvering to deny
as many workers as possible their basic right to have a voice on the job,” Miller said, “and
improve their living standards through their union.” To see more, go to www.nlrb.gov/nlrb/press/releases/r2603.htm
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Congress Passes Disabled Vets COLA
Congress passed and sent to President Bush a veterans’ compensation cost of living adjustment
(COLA) package. The measure, S 2562, provides cost-of-living adjustment to the disability compensation
rates for veterans with service-connected disabilities and the dependency/indemnity compensation rates
paid to spouses and dependent children of service-disabled veterans. S 2562 passed Sept. 30 and will
be sent to Bush, who is expected to sign it. The measure would become effective Dec. 1. “This
is one of the more important pieces of legislation the Veterans’ Affairs Committee brings to
the floor each year,” said Rep. Steve Buyer, R-Ind., committee chairman. To see more, go to http://veterans.house.gov/news/109/10-3-06.html
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Security Flaws Found in CMS Computer Network
Significant computer security flaws within the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
network threaten the confidentiality of sensitive financial and medical information when it is transmitted
across the electronic system, said a new government report. The Government Accountability Office (GAO)
assessed the effectiveness of information security controls on the CMS’ contractor-operated
network that is used for agency business. Although CMS had many key information security controls in
place, some were missing and existing ones had not always been effectively implemented, the report
said. Further, CMS did not always ensure that its contractor effectively implemented electronic access
controls designed to limit unauthorized access to sensitive computing resources. To see an abstract,
go to www.gao.gov/docsearch/abstract.php?rptno=GAO-06-750
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