AFL-CIO Files Complaint Against Bush at ILO

On the heels of a yet another anti-worker ruling by the National Labor Relations Board, the AFL-CIO announced October 25 that it's filing charges with the International Labor Organization (ILO). The ILO is a UN agency created in 1919 to improve the conditions of workers and advance the cause of social justice throughout the world.

"Under Bush, America’s labor board has so failed our nation’s workers that we must now turn to the world’s international watchdogs to monitor and intervene. The Bush Labor Board is kryptonite for America’s workers. There is no historic precedent for such aggressive efforts by the Board to curtail workers’ rights of freedom of association and collective bargaining." -AFL-CIO President John Sweeney

The ILO complaint, filed with the organization’s Committee on Freedom of Association, says the NLRB responded to a "rise in unlawful employer conduct" by shrinking coverage of the National Labor Relations Act, limiting the rights protected by the statute and strengthening management’s ability to discriminate, harass and intimidate workers. It also charges the NLRB with steadfastly refusing to apply the few meaningful remedies available under the law.

In related news, the AFL-CIO is planning a major rally on Thursday, November 15 to protest the anti-worker decisions of the Board.

Thanks to the DC Metro Council which contributed to this report.