Organizing Roundup: Hard Work Brings Union To Jackson City Workers

The City Council in Jackson, Miss., voted unanimously to grant collective bargaining rights to city employees and to recognize CWA's Mississippi Alliance of State Employees as the bargaining representative for 1,200 city workers.

The vote caps more than a year of joint organizing, mobilization and legislative work by MASE-CWA Local 3570 and CWA Local 3511.

In 2005, MASE-CWA President Brenda Scott and Local 3511 President Kim Sadler began their effort to elect a mayor and city council that would support bargaining rights for city workers. The two locals along with District 3 Organizing Coordinator Elizabeth Roberson worked together to sign up a majority of the city workers and to persuade Mayor Frank Melton to introduce a bill that would give workers union recognition.

MASE-CWA presented signed cards to the mayor's office earlier this year as evidence that an overwhelming majority of city workers wanted CWA representation.

For the crucial vote, the council meeting was packed with CWA members and supporters wearing purple CWA organizing t-shirts. The new law extends CWA representation to city workers other than police and firefighters, who already have collective bargaining rights and their own unions.

Local 3511 organizers Deborah Noble, Nate Williams and Calvin Banks supported the workers' organizing committee throughout the campaign. In 2005, Local 3511 received help from MASE-CWA in organizing the Cingular call center in Jackson — the first former AT&T Wireless call center organized after the merger.

MASE-CWA Local 3570 members in purple t-shirts packed the Jackson, Miss., City Council hearing that resulted in union recognition for Jackson city workers. At center, with red head band, is local President Brenda Scott. Dressed in white is District 3 Organizing Coordinator Liz Roberson.