News

In a historic vote recognizing municipal employees' organizing and bargaining rights, the city council for Jackson City, Miss., gave its approval this week to a tentative contract reached between CWA's Mississippi Alliance of State Employees (MASE-CWA Local 3570) and the city.

Empire State College of the State University of New York is now accepting applications for the Morton Bahr Distance Learning Scholarship for the 2008-2009 academic year. Two new scholarships will be awarded this year.

The efforts of United Campus Workers-CWA Local 3865 have brought about 100 employees of the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture time-and-a-half pay if they work more than 40 hours a week. Classified as "agricultural production workers" under the Fair Labor Standards Act, they previously received overtime pay only if they worked more than 120 hours in a pay period.

Backed by a solid majority of workers who want a voice and bargaining rights, Delta Air Lines flight attendants filed for AFA-CWA representation with the National Mediation Board on Feb. 14. The campaign began in late 2006, with a small, dedicated group of flight attendants who started collecting signatures to petition for a union representation election.

CWA President Larry Cohen and other members of a labor fact-finding delegation visiting Colombia this week deplored workers' rights abuses and continuing violence against unionists in the country in speaking to reporters in Bogota on Wednesday.