Labor Updates (6/6/08)

(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
Union Victory for MontCo Profs: Hundreds of part-time faculty at Montgomery College won a months-long battle to unionize this week (DC Jobs with Justice Corner: PT MontCo Profs Organize 4/24/08 UC), voting overwhelmingly for SEIU Local 500, reported Marcus Moore in Wednesday's Gazette. "The opportunities we now have to win improvements for ourselves and our students are endless," said part-time faculty member Terilee Edwards-Hewitt. The vote is the first successful unionization drive by part-time instructors in Maryland, reported Moore. Delta Workers Vow to Continue Campaign After Failed Union Bid: Delta flight attendants (Flight Attendants Hold Union Vote at Delta 5/9/08 UC) will continue to fight for a union voice following a worker vote last week that fell short because of an intense voter suppression effort by Delta management, reports the CWA District 2 website. "Managers plastered crew rooms with posters urging flight attendants to throw out their official voting information” and “prevented workers from exercising their right to post pro-union materials in crew lounges,” reports District 2. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA-CWA) plans to file interference charges against Delta. Workers are optimistic, though, that another union vote - following the probable merger between Delta and Northwest - will be successful. Click here to read the full story.