Core Provisions: Proposed in response to the NLRB’s decision in Oakwood Healthcare, Inc., 348 NLRB No. 37 (Sept. 29, 2006), holding that employees spending only 10 percent of their time in a supervisory capacity may be considered “supervisors” and thus not entitled to unionize, the RESPECT Act would narrow the definition of supervisor under the NLRA. The RESPECT Act would delete the terms “assign” and “responsibly to direct” from the definition of supervisor - terms that the NLRB expanded to support its rulings - and would also require that statutory supervisors spend a majority of their workday performing supervisory duties.

Status: S.969 was introduced in the Senate by Sen. Dodd (D-CT) on March 22, 2007 and referred to the HELP Committee. In the House, the Committee on Education and Labor reported the bill out of committee on Sept. 19, 2007, by a vote of 26-20.