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Continuing to build and expand coalitions of allies, CWA members in cities across the nation joined tens of thousands of people Sunday for May Day events that called for immigration reform and workers' rights.

In New York City, CWA District 1 President Chris Shelton addressed thousands of activists who rallied at Union Square and marched downtown to Foley Square.

Expressing gratitude to President Obama and the military heroes who brought down Osama bin Laden, AFA-CWA leaders issued a statement remembering the 25 Flight Attendants who lost their lives on 9/11 and describing how the day changed their profession forever.

"September 11th showcased the tremendous bravery of Flight Attendants. Our heroes on those four fateful flights acted as first responders. They relayed the first intelligence of the day that served to alert our country and our fellow crewmembers on flight 93 who in turn acted without reservation against evil, sacrificing their own lives to protect our country and lives of countless others," AFA President Veda Shook, Vice President Sara Nelson and Secretary-Treasurer Kevin Creighan said.

President Obama meets at the White House with eight surviving Memphis sanitation workers whose 1968 strike changed labor history. The 1,300 strikers were inducted into the DOL's Labor Hall of Fame on April 28. "

The 1,300 Memphis sanitation workers whose 1968 strike changed history and showed Americans that workers' rights are human rights have been inducted into the Labor Hall of Fame.

The April 29 ceremony marked the first time the U.S. Department of Labor has inducted a group of workers into the Hall of Fame. Normally the honor is reserved for individuals.

As other states fixate on ways to take rights, services and benefits away from people, Vermont's legislature has boldly passed the nation's first single-payer bill to provide affordable health care for all Vermonters.

CWA members testified, rallied and helped educate the public about the bill, which removes from employers the costly burden of providing health insurance.

"We want health care to follow the individual and not be a requirement of the employer, which we think will be a huge jobs creator," said Gov. Pete Shumlin, speaking on the Rachel Maddow show. He said Vermont wants to be the first state to "treat health care as a right and not a privilege."

From Boston to Sacramento, hundreds of Workers' Memorial Day events last Thursday brought together union members and other activists to honor and mourn working people killed or injured on the job.

Memorial events reminded workers that 2011 marks the 40th anniversary of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, whose oversight has greatly reduced safety and health risks at U.S. workplaces.