Organizing Local Wins Overtime Pay for Agriculture Workers

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.

UCW-CWA President Tom Smith said the local first took up the agricultural workers' cause in 2006 and were told by the administration that a change in policy would be impossible.

But UCW-CWA, an organizing local with about 600 members at the university, campaigned in 2006 to reelect state Rep. Harry Tindell (D), chair of the House Budget Committee, and have built a good relationship with state Sen. Tim Burchett, ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Ways and Means Committee. 

The local's legislative work paid off when the Tindell and Burchett threw their support behind the local's effort. The Institute workers each received a letter in early January informing them of the new overtime policy.

UCW-CWA Organizer Cameron Brooks said the new policy sent a clear message to thousands of workers across the campus that, "when people stand up and demand it, change can happen."