Kentucky River decision: so much for the freedom of assembly

David Goldstein has the story.

Voting along party lines, the Republican dominated NLRB gutted long-time federal labor laws by allowing employers to reclassify up to 8 million workers as “supervisors,” thus prohibiting them from forming unions.

Weird, isn't it? Take on the magical label "supervisor," and suddenly you can't join up with like-minded employees--er, supervisors--to secure better wages, better hours, or better working conditions.

Be sure to click through and watch the Colbert video, which sums up the basic absurdity of the change. If you want the arcana of the decision, they're here.

Update: As I read through Goldstein's post again, I see a potential point of confusion. It won't be illegal to join a union under the NRLB ruling--it just means that employers can ignore, disrespect, and otherwise squash burgeoning collective efforts without fear of sanctions.