Organizing

Victories for 2002

AFT - New York, Michigan - A total of 189 workers recently voted for AFT. A majority of 100 research employees of the Research Foundation at Kingboro Community College in New York City voted Dec. 4 for the Professional Staff Congress of the City University of New York, an AFT affiliate. Meanwhile, 54 teachers and support staff at Creative Montessori Academy, a charter school in Southgate, Mich., voted for AFT on Dec. 3, and 35 teachers and staff at New York's Broome-Tioga BOCES Association of Continuing Education voted for the union.

SEIU - Illinois, Maryland, Maine - 100 employees of Lake County (Ill.) Head Start voted to join Local 73 in December, while the majority of 47 Head Start workers at the Southeast Community Organization in Baltimore voted for Local 500. A 70-member unit of committee clerks, proofreaders, secretaries and other nonpartisan employees of the Maine legislature in November became the newest members of Local 1989 after a card-check. In a card-check, the employer agrees to recognize the union if a majority of workers expresses a desire for the union by signing authorization cards.

SEIU - Thousand Oaks, CA - A majority of 560 health care and other workers at Los Robles Regional Medical Center in Thousand Oaks, Calif., voted to join SEIU.

AFM - Washington, DC - The Washington (D.C.) Opera convinced their employer to recognize the American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada Local 161-710 as the collective bargaining representative for all rehearsal pianists, coaches, prompters and onstage conductors. The Washington Opera employs up to 20 musicians each season in those capacities. Musicians who play in the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra are already members of the local.

UAN - Escanaba, MI - Seeking a strong voice in patient care decisions, the majority of 120 registered nurses at St. Francis Hospital in Escanaba, Mich., voted Dec. 4 for the Michigan Nurses Association, a United American Nurses affiliate, as their representative for collective bargaining.

AFSCME - King County, WA - A strong majority of 550 librarians, library assistants and technicians with the King County (Wash.) library system voted Dec. 3 to join the Washington State Council of County and City Employees, AFSCME Council 2. Volunteer member-organizers focused on one-to-one personal contacts throughout the organizing campaign, making home visits, running phone banks and holding brown-bag lunches at the various library locations.

SEIU - West Virginia - Head Start workers in West Virginia are turning to SEIU District 1199WV/KY/OH for a stronger voice in serving their clients. In October, a unit of 115 workers at Logan Pride Head Start voted for the union. In November, a unit of 80 workers at Light Bridge Head Start also chose SEIU.

AFT - Champaign-Urbana, IL - After a nearly decade-long struggle,an overwhelming majority of the 2,700 graduate employees at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana voted Dec. 3-4 for a voice on the job with AFT. The campaign attracted support from elected officials and reached its climax during a March student sit-in, which convinced the administration to agree to an election. "We are part of a growing movement of graduate employee unionization," said Rosemary Braun, co-president of the Graduate Employees' Organization.

AFT - Texas, New Jersey, Minnesota, New York - A total of 959 workers have a voice on the job with AFT. In the Houston metropolitan area, the 754 members of the Fort Bend Education Federation officially gained their charter after voting for the union this year. Some 165 school employees in three Minnesota school districts also voted for AFT, including 85 paraprofessionals in Princeton, and 27 office employees in Northfield. Meanwhile, on Nov. 1, the 40-member Professional and Supervisory Alliance of Jamestown Community College in Jamestown, N.Y., voted to join with New York State United Teachers, an AFT affiliate.

AFT - San Francisco, CA - A strong majority of 31 child care workers at two facilities run by South of Market Child Care center in San Francisco voted for a voice on the job with AFT Nov. 14. They are now members of United Educators of San Francisco/AFT Local 61. Also, AFT is launching the Child Care Workforce Alliance, an associate membership program for child care instructors, directors, parents and others. The group aims to "create a unified, powerful voice for the child care workforce," said Marci Young, deputy director of the Center for the Child Care Workforce, which recently became part of the AFT Educational Foundation.

AFM - New York, NY - In New York City, 120 art, music and movement teachers at the Kaufman Center voted for representation by American Federation of Musicians of the United States and Canada Local 802 this month. The teachers overcame an intense eight-month anti-union campaign by management and became the first part-time community arts teachers in New York state to win a voice at work.

AFSA - Howard County, MD - The 180-member Howard County (Md.) Administrators Association voted to affiliate with the School Administrators in mid-November. "AFSA is in the best position to help represent the interests and perspectives of school administrators," said HCAA President Stephen Zagami.

AFGE - Salt Lake City, UT - A two-to-one majority of more than 540 workers at the Defense Contract Audit Agency's Eastern Region offices in 13 states voted for a voice on the job with AFGE Nov. 19. Meanwhile, overwhelming majorities of 300 nurses and other health care professionals at the Salt Lake City VA Medical Center also voted for AFGE in late November.

AFSCME - Moreno Valley, CA - More than 300 nurses, technicians, certified nurse assistants, housekeepers and other staff at Moreno Valley (Calif.) Community Hospital chose a voice with SEIU Nov. 15 when the majority signed union authorization cards in a card-check.

AFSCME - Baltimore, MD - In the twelfth victory this year for University of Maryland workers, a strong majority of 1,100 clerical and administrative staff members at the system's Baltimore campus voted for a voice on the job with AFSCME Nov. 12. "We are an integral part of our university community, and it's time our work was valued," said Renette Cowan, an administrative assistant in the School of Social Work.

SEIU - Seattle, WA - A total of 285 workers recently gained a voice at work with SEIU. At Seattle's Swedish Medical Center, 170 technical workers voted for Local 1199NW in early November.

AFT - Norwalk, CA - The 1,020 full- and part-time faculty members at Cerritos College in Norwalk, Calif., voted to join AFT Nov. 6. Cerritos was the last community college in the state in which workers lacked union representation.

CWA - New York, New Jersey, Wisconsin - A total of 139 workers recently chose union representation with the Communications Workers of America. Forty-seven workers at Verizon Information Services (VIS) in Syracuse, N.Y., won union recognition following a card-check. Meanwhile, the majority of 55 white-collar employees of the city of Long Branch, N.J., voted for Local 1034 on Oct. 16. Another 37 workers at Frontier/Citizens Communications, a local telephone service provider in Shawano-Clintonville, Wis., voted for Local 4672 on Sept. 12.

- In the first-ever telephone election conducted by the National Mediation Board, nearly 500 engineers and technicians at United Airlines maintenance facilities nationwide voted for the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers Oct. 28. "This vote shows that in these uncertain economic times in an industry that faces an uncertain future, white-collar workers understand that they need a voice on the job. And the union is the best way to provide that voice," said IFPTE President Gregory Junemann. The AFL-CIO provided assistance to IFPTE in the organizing drive.

- In one of the first major organizing victories by Internet workers in the U. S., 350 customer service representatives at Atlanta-based BellSouth.net, the Internet division of BellSouth Corp., chose respect on the job with Communications Workers of America Local 3204 on Oct. 10. Recognition came after a majority of the workers turned in cards supporting CWA. The union negotiated a card-check provision in its 2000 bargaining agreement with BellSouth.

- A majority of 500 nurses at Providence St. Joseph Medical Center in Burbank, Calif., voted for a voice on the job with SEIU on Sept. 27. Union leaders are confident that a count of challenged ballots will result in victory. A strong majority of 181 Superior Court workers in Santa Barbara County, Calif., voted 109-39 in late September to form a union with SEIU Local 620.

- With support from religious and community groups and elected officials, a strong majority of 1,300 nurses at Fletcher Allen Health Care in Burlington, Vt., voted for a voice on the job with AFT Healthcare on Oct. 3. Leaders of the Vermont State Labor Council helped garner the support of Sen. Patrick Leahy (D) and Gov. Howard Dean (D). "This monumental victory is a tremendous win for Fletcher Allen nurses and patients," said AFT President Sandra Feldman.

- A total of 1,232 workers recently chose a voice at work with SEIU. At Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, 410 interns and residents voted Oct. 16 for representation by SEIU's Committee of Interns and Residents. At Woodland Memorial Hospital in Woodland, Calif., 200 service and technical workers voted for Local 250 on Oct. 17. And as part of the national drive by Head Start workers to organize, 115 workers at Pride in Logan County in Logan, W. Va., voted for Local 1199WOK on Oct. 18. On Sept. 17, a unit of about 107 technicians at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, Calif., also voted for Local 250.

- Seeking better work rules and more pay, 12 employees of Staten Island Community Television voted to join National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers of America Local 11.

AFT - New York - In New York, a total of 676 workers recently chose a voice on the job with AFT. At Dowling College in Oakdale, 305 adjunct faculty members joined when their employer agreed to recognize the union after a majority of workers signed authorization cards. Also joining the union through card-checks were 85 data processing associates at the Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) Broome-Delaware-Tioga, 63 support staff in Bainbridge-Guildford Central School District, 41 staff members at the Center for Child Development, Inc. in Queens, 27 teachers' aides and clerical staff in the Barker Central School District and 17 adult educators at BOCES Dutchess. Other victories include 60 support staff with the Salamanca School District who voted for the union, as did 40 teachers' aides at the Attica Central School District, 20 service staff, cafeteria workers and bus drivers with the Lyme Central School District and 18 adult educators at BOCES Southern Adirondack.

AFGE - Florida, Georgia - Some 850 doctors, pharmacists, dentists, optometrists, registered nurses and other health care professionals employed by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs in the North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System voted for AFGE Local 2779 on Oct. 9. "Federal employees recognize the benefits of union representation, not only for themselves, but for the federal government and the American people," AFGE President Bobby L. Harnage Sr. said.

AFT - Illinois - With more than 1,100 members, the Illinois Dental Hygienists' Association (IDHA) recently voted to affiliate with the Illinois Federation of Teachers/AFT, effective in January. The IDHA wants to boost its organizing efforts and have a stronger voice in the state legislature.

SEIU - New York, NY - In September, strong majorities of 1,100 clerical, technical and professional workers at four New York-area hospitals won a voice at work with SEIU Local 1199NY. The union negotiated a bargaining-to-organize agreement with the League of Voluntary Hospitals and Homes of New York in February. The wins were at St. Vincent's Hospital and Medical Center, Franklin Hospital Medical Center, Southside Hospital and Staten Island University Hospital. At Catholic Healthcare West's Dominican Hospital in Northern California, 107 technicians voted for representation by Local 250.

CWA - Boston, MA - The 500 members of the unaffiliated Association of Employees of the Educational Foundation (AEEF) at Boston's WGBH public television station voted Oct. 22 to join the Communications Workers of America. "CWA's size, resources and experience will empower us at the bargaining table," said AEEF President Michael R. Callahan.

- Communications, broadcast and entertainment unions have joined with the Center for Economic and Policy Research to review the impact of growing consolidation of media outlets. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is considering relaxing the rules limiting ownership of broadcast media. "We have seen what deregulation has done to our Telecom- munications, airline and energy industries," said Paul Almeida, president of the AFL-CIO Department for Public Employees. "The very cornerstone of our democracy rests on the FCC meeting its obligation to ensure the diversity of voices and localism. Any step closer to loosening these rules or deregulating these markets is a step in the wrong direction."

UAN - Sixty nurses of Providence Seaside Hospital in Seaside, Ore., voted for a voice at work Oct. 2 with the Oregon Nurses Association (ONA), a United American Nurses affiliate. They join ONA-represented nurses at three other Providence-area hospitals.

- A majority of the 10 actors who perform daily at Ellis Island's Immigration Museum voted for representation by Actors' Equity in mid-August. The actors, who perform and understudy in shifts, six times a day, seven days a week, in the 30-minute show "Embracing Freedom-The Immigrant Journey in America," receive no benefits or sick pay, the union said. The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation fought the actors' efforts to organize.

- The 120 employees of the Department of Veteran Affairs' Topeka (Kan.) Shared Service Center overcame a year of management foot dragging and intimidation to vote Aug. 29 for AFGE.

- With strong majorities, 134 California workers joined Local 399 in late August. At California Healthcare West's Bakersfield facilities, 84 business office clerical workers joined the union, as did 50 professionals at the company's California Medical Center in Los Angeles.

- With a strong majority, more than 750 registered nurses at Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center in Pomona, Calif., voted to join SEIU on Sept. 19. "Now we'll be able to sit down with management and really work on the improvements we need to provide the best possible care," said emergency room nurse Charlene Nelson. Another group of health care professionals at the facility is set to vote on forming a union in October.

- The majority of 12 technicians at the NBC-TV hub facility in Miami voted to join NABET/CWA Local 11 Sept. 12.

- The 90 professional employees of the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Fayetteville, N.C., voted unanimously Sept. 17 for AFGE Local 1738. The unit includes doctors, pharmacists, dentists and optometrists. This is the third win recently for Local 1738 at a VA facility.

- AFSCME Council 31 activists helped 273 City of Chicago administrative assistants win voluntary union recognition Sept. 9 after a majority signed union authorization cards. They joined 270 workers at St. Coletta's of Illinois Inc.-a private, nonprofit agency serving people with developmental disabilities-who voted to join Council 31 on Aug. 16.

- At their Sept. 8 convention, members of the Colorado Classified School Employees Association decided to affiliate with AFT. Leaders and activists of the 1,500-member group have been working with AFT on issues of mutual interest and decided they wanted to join with the union. The affiliation follows a similar move earlier this year by the Nevada Classified Employees Association.

- On Aug. 15, the majority of 75 aerospace technicians at Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. in Albuquerque, N.M., voted to join Communications Workers of America Local 7011. Building on an earlier win at the company's Yuma, Ariz., facility in April, CWA mobilized member-organizers from the unionized location to aid the campaign. The majority of 60 workers who maintain machines at Bow Systec, a company that handles billing for the SBC Corp. in Sacramento, Calif., voted to join Local 9421 on July 26. And 50 workers at ATC Lighting in Hubbard, Ohio, withstood a strong, anti-union campaign by management to win collective bargaining rights with IUE-CWA Local 84724 on Aug. 8.

- Recent AFSCME organizing wins include 65 paraprofessionals in the Southlake Schools District, St. Clair Shores, Mich.; 20 Head Start workers in the Adrian Public Schools, Adrian, Mich.; and 35 city employees in St. Helens, Ore.

- In an effort to better care for patients, 200 registered nurses at Kaiser Permanente in Atlanta chose solidarity with United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1996 last month through a card-check. They joined 49 residential counselors at St. Dominic's in Bronx, N.Y., a center for developmentally disabled adults, who voted for Local 888.

- Recent organizing wins include 45 paraprofessionals employed by the town of Killington, Conn.; 11 labor conciliators who investigate wage claims for the state of Illinois; 18 public works employees in Jefferson County, Iowa,

- At the University of Washington, 450 research and scientific instructional technicians who assist research scientists voted Aug. 6 for Local 925. Another 70 patient service representatives at University of Washington Medical Center gained recognition for Local 925 after a card-check. Under a card-check, the employer agrees to recognize the union if a majority of workers signs authorization cards.

- The majority of 400 adjunct faculty members at Dowling College, a private college in Suffolk County, N.Y., voted to join AFT Aug. 12. They join a chapter of full-time faculty that has been an AFT local for more than 30 years. Meanwhile, by a resounding vote, 20 licensed practical nurses at Brattleboro Memorial Hospital voted to join the Vermont Federation of Nurses and Health Professionals, an AFT affiliate.

- Seeking more power at the bargaining table, the 1,300 members of the Columbus (Ohio) Municipal Association of Government Employees voted to affiliate with CWA in June. Meanwhile, 80 interpreters employed at the Hennepin County Medical Center in Minneapolis, Minn., won representation with the TNG-CWA Local 37002 in a card-check and 47 workers at a Verizon Information Services facility in Lake Success, N.Y., won recognition with Local 1105 in a card-check on July 3. Under card-check, an employer agrees to recognize a union if a majority of workers signs union authorization cards.

- A majority of the 153 members of the Society of Professional Scientists and Engineers voted to affiliate with University Professional and Technical Employees-Communications Workers of America Local 9119. The scientists work at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory outside San Francisco. About 500 researchers at the Lawrence Berkeley National Lab already are members of the local.

- Over one thousand workers chose a voice on the job in June and July with SEIU. In Southern California, 246 business office clerical workers at two hospitals voted for Local 399. Some 176 registered nurses, nursing home workers and medical technicians at v

- The 42 teachers and other professional staff at New Covenant Charter School in Albany, N.Y., formed a union with AFT and now are part of New York State United Teachers after a June 21 card-check. The campaign began at the campus, operated by Edison Schools Inc., in May 2001, after 10 teachers were removed without due process.Another 50 teachers and other staffers at the Puerto Rican Action Board in New Brunswick, N.J., voted last month for the New Jersey State Federation of Teachers/AFT.

- The majority of more than 3,000 adjunct professors at New York University picked UAW for a voice on the job July 9. The part-time faculty members teach the bulk of undergraduate courses, but suffer with low pay, no benefits and little job security. Graduate teaching assistants at NYU made history this year when they formed a union with UAW and became the first workers of their kind to bargain a contract at a private university. "Having a union for adjuncts at NYU will only improve our lives and the quality of education at the university," said Solo Dowuona-Hammond, an adjunct professor at NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.

- In July, the majority of 56 active treatment facilitators and drivers employed by the Delaware Division of Developmental Disabilities Services voted to join AFSCME Council 81. The workers provide recreational activity for people with developmental disabilities. Meanwhile, in Kentucky, 3,700 office employees, instructional assistants and other workers at the Jefferson County School Board ratified a first contract as AFSCME members. The contract ends a nasty fight during which the school board had refused to recognize workers' affiliation with AFSCME almost two years ago.

- A nearly two-to-one majority of 25 faculty and instructional support staff members at Madison Media Institute, a private, for-profit vocational college in Madison, Wis., voted to join the Wisconsin Federation of Teachers, an AFT affiliate, in a July 10 election.

- The 540 child care workers, office assistants, lunch aides and other support staff in the Waterford School District in metropolitan Detroit now have a voice on the job after a strong majority voted for the Michigan Federation of Teachers and School Related Personnel, an AFT affiliate, on April 16.

- The majority of 250 workers at Granada Hills (Calif.) Community Hospital voted for SEIU on May 17. The registered nurses joined Local 121RN, while the technicians are now members of Local 399. On the same day, 250 Head Start teachers and others employed by the Mexican American Opportunity Foundation in Los Angeles voted to join Local 99.

- In June a majority of 560 technicians at three Catholic Healthcare West hospitals in Northern California voted for representation by Local 250. Other recent election victories include 160 paramedics and emergency medical technicians employed by AMR in Las Vegas who voted for Local 1107.

- In late June, a strong majority of 37 professional staff workers at Martha's Vineyard Community Services voted overwhelmingly to form a union with SEIU Local 767, a Cape Cod, Mass.-based hospital workers union.

- In New York, 1,100 conservation officers, forest rangers, State University of New York police and other law enforcement workers voted for Council 82 last month. Other recent victories for AFSCME include 84 City of Indianapolis Housing Authority white-collar workers who chose Council 62; an 80-member association of blue- and white-collar workers of Montgomery Township, N.J., who voted to affiliate with Council 73; and a group of 46 City of Chicago supervising clerks who joined Council 31.

- In Wisconsin a majority of 116 part-time supervisors in the Green Bay school district voted to join Council 40 on June 5.

- Some 1,974 workers won a voice on the job with the Communications Workers of America this spring. Seeking better pay and benefits, the 630 members of the West Virginia Troopers Association voted to affiliate with the National Coalition of Public Safety Officers/CWA on April 15. In Indiana and California, 494 Cingular retail and technical workers chose CWA on April 14, while more than 430 customer service representatives at two Cingular Wireless call centers in Louisiana also joined the union by a card-check. More than 420 cable workers at AT&T Broadband facilities in five states gained representation through card-checks in April and May. Under AT&T's contract with CWA, which expired in May, AT&T agreed to recognize the union if a majority of workers signed union authorization cards.

- A majority of the 550 technical and service employees-including respiratory therapists, certified nursing assistants, health unit coordinators, technologists, and dietary staff-at Good Samaritan Hospital in Puyallup, Wash., voted to join SEIU District 1199NW May 15.

- One hundred faculty members at Cascadia Community College in Bothell, Wash., are now members of Washington Federation of Teachers/AFT after a resounding vote May 14. Cascadia is the newest college in the state's community and technical college system. The union will represent 22 full-time and 78 part-time faculty.

- A majority of 180 teachers and adjunct faculty at the Catherine Gibbs Business School in New York withstood a stiff antiunion campaign and voted for United Federation of Teachers/AFT last week. UFT next plans to assist the school's support staff in their effort to join the union.

- The 1,698 members of the unaffiliated Professional Industrial and Trade Workers Union voted April 24 to join the Machinists (IAM). The Cherry Hill, N.J.-based union represents professional bookkeepers, accountants and office workers.

- The majority of 82 school-related professionals in Beaver River, N.Y., recently voted to join New York State United Teachers, an AFT affiliate.

- The Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, an AFL-CIO constituency group, is joining the campaign to gain justice for workers at the Los Angeles Chinese Daily News. The 150 employees of the Taiwan-based company voted March 19, 2001, to join The Newspaper Guild-Communications Workers of America. But the company has refused to recognize the union or to negotiate a contract. Several NLRB unfair labor practice complaints have been issued against the company. APALA is asking union members to call the Chinese Daily News management at 323-859-8901 to demand that the employer negotiate a fair contract. For more information, call Stephanie Moore at 562-944-1300.

- Organizing for a stronger voice on the job, a majority of 373 faculty members at Jacksonville (Fla.) Community College voted for AFT. The unit will be part of the United Faculty Federation, a joint AFT-National Education Association affiliate.

- More than 3,040 workers nationwide at the wireless telephone company Cingular have won a voice on the job through the Communications Workers of America since the beginning of the year. As a result of CWA's bargaining-to-organize strategy, the union negotiated a card-check and neutrality agreement with SBC Corp., Cingular's parent company. The company agreed to recognize the union in any plant in which a majority of workers signed authorization cards. Other workers who chose CWA recently include 250 SBC Telecom technicians nationwide in March; 121 court interpreters in Cook County, Ill., who voted for Chicago Newspaper Guild Local 34071 in March.

- Seeking better benefits and decent treatment on the job, 128 Puerto Rican workers recently voted for United Food and Commercial Workers Local 481, including 104 nurses and technicians at the Menonite General Hospital in Cayey and 24 workers at the Mayaguez Credit Union in Mayaguez.

- The 134 full-time faculty at Rock Valley Community College in Rockford, Ill., are the newest members of the Illinois Federation of Teachers/AFT. "Most of the community colleges in the state are part of the IFT," said Jill Raymond, a faculty member who was involved in the organizing effort. "So we knew the organization was already familiar with community college issues."

- Local 660 continue their concerted efforts to increase their union strength through agency shop elections throughout Los Angeles bargaining units. In an agency shop election, workers vote on whether to require nonmembers to join the union or pay their fair share of representation expenses. In the biggest victory this year, employees in the administrative and technical unit voted for an agency shop April 12. As a result, an additional 2,200 county workers will join Local 660 or pay agency fees. About 4,500 county workers have been added to the ranks of Local 660 through agency shop elections this year. Meanwhile, on April 26, 9,000 SEIU members at 20 Catholic Healthcare West hospitals in California celebrated their landmark first contract victory.

- A strong majority of 167 non-teaching professional employees at the four Vermont State Colleges voted to join United Professions of Vermont, the state federation of the AFT, on April 23. The professionals join the full-time and part-time faculty at the state colleges, who have been AFT members since 1973.

- The 117 workers at Orchard Village in Skokie, Ill., who provide services for developmentally challenged adults voted to join AFSCME Council 31 April 9. During an anti-union, captive audience meeting with staff, management representatives ridiculed union supporters. "They called me 'stupid,' then the managers got up and clapped," said Jenny Vitzileos. After management fired her, Vitzileos put all her efforts into organizing her co-workers. The co-workers are mobilizing support to reinstate Vitzileos. Elsewhere, 80 clerical workers employed by the town of Lewiston, Maine, won voluntary recognition with AFSCME Council 93. AFSCME also was the choice for 82 professional employees at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore campus in Princess Anne; 34 teachers and aides at LaSalle School in Albany, N.Y.; and 16 Head Start workers at the Downriver Guidance Center in Detroit.

- By an overwhelming margin, the 120 workers at the Guilderland Center (N.Y.) Nursing Home voted to join SEIU 1199/NY recently. The unit includes licensed practical nurses, certified nurse aides and other staff.

- In Camden, N.J., 129 substitute teachers voted to form a union with Local 1034. Camden's substitute teachers had not had a pay raise in several years and lacked health insurance, paid sick leave or personal days.

- The 3,400-member Nevada Classified School Employees Association voted to become an AFT affiliate. "This affiliation will help us gain more respect for school-support employees, whose work is generally underpaid, overlooked and taken for granted," said NCSEA President Mike Campbell.

- The eight technical employees at Infinity/WXYT 1270 AM and WWJ-AM Newsradio 950 in Detroit voted for Television and Radio Artists. They join the stations' sportcasters, who became AFTRA members in January.

- Continuing their winning streak in Maryland, the State Higher Education Labor Relations Board declared AFSCME the winner in contested elections for 69 workers at Bowie State University in Bowie and 49 exempt professional employees at Coppin State College in Baltimore.

- An overwhelming majority of the 1,100 workers in Puerto Rico's Vocational Rehabilitation Administration, who help disabled Puerto Ricans with job training and placement, voted for a voice on the job through Servidores Publicos Unidos/AFSCME . The win is the latest in a string of victories for several unions and thousands of workers after passage in 1999 of a law allowing public employees to bargain collectively.

- In the first win of its kind, undergraduate student dormitory workers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst voted to form a union with UAW Local 2322. The 360 resident assistants want a say about pay and working conditions. Meanwhile, a National Labor Relations Board regional office issued an unfair labor practice complaint against New York University for illegally denying tenure to a junior professor who spoke out in favor of a successful UAW organizing campaign among NYU graduate assistants in April 2000.

- Members of the International Union of Security Officers voted overwhelmingly to affiliate with SEIU. The vast majority of IUSO's 5,000 members are employed by large security companies in the Bay Area, San Pedro, Calif., and Seattle. They provide security at commercial office buildings, hospitals, industrial sites and waterfront facilities. "This is our chance to work with other security officers who want to professionalize the industry," said Gary Atienza, a security officer at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

- The 40 workers at the New York Rehabilitation Center in Queens, N.Y., voted unanimously for Local 300S.

- A strong majority of the 1,378 state mental health care professionals in Missouri voted to join SEIU Local 2000. "This is our chance to gain a voice in decisions that affect us and our clients," said St. Louis psychologist Darcy Parks. In June, Gov. Bob Holden (D) issued an executive order giving state employees the right to join a union and engage in collective bargaining.

- 100 workers who assist people with developmental disabilities at Westbrooke Care's 14 different homes throughout Parkersburg, W.Va., voted for representation by Local 400.

- A majority of the 26 sportscasters at Infinity/WXYT 1270 AM in Detroit voted to join the Television and Radio Artists. They join the bargaining unit of co-workers at WWJ-AM Newsradio 950.

- In another victory for graduate employees at private universities, a National Labor Relations Board regional director ruled that teaching and research assistants at Columbia University in New York City are employees and therefore have the freedom to form a union. The workers, who want a voice on the job with UAW Local 2110, could hold an election as early as next month. The win comes on the heels of a breakthrough first contract agreement for graduate employees at New York University.

- In Blue Springs, Mo., 246 RNs at St. Mary's Hospital voted to join SEIU last week. 160 aides, technicians and other service and technical staff members of Catholic Healthcare West at St. Dominic's Hospital in Manteca, Calif., also voted for representation by SEIU Local 250, and card-check recognition-in which a majority of workers sign union authorization cards-brought a voice at work to 66 part-time workers at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, N.Y.

- Seeking a unified voice to provide quality services, a unit of more than 5,200 public health workers across Puerto Rico voted overwhelmingly to join SEIU District 1199UNTS. The unit includes nurses, social workers, aides and other professional, technical and support staff members. Inadequate pay, terrible working conditions, chronic staffing problems and privatization concerns are top issues.

- In the latest of a string of victories, the 370 office and other workers at University of Maryland, Baltimore County voted for AFSCME. The vote capped a difficult nine-month organizing campaign, with an administration and staff Senate offering a history of so-called "shared governance," as an alternative to real collective bargaining. Nearly 4,000 university employees have chosen AFSCME since several unions worked to pass a state law allowing the workers a voice on the job last year. Nearby, another unit of 140 clerical and staff members at the University of Baltimore also voted for AFSCME.

- 425 technicians and support staff members at SBC Communication's Advanced Solutions Inc. in four states voted for the CWA. Also, 68 AT&T Broadband workers in Penn Hills, Pa., voted for Local 13000, and 62 in Dallas, voted for Local 6150. Local 13000 also won a vote by 32 Alltel Corp. workers in Brookville, Pa.

- The majority of 4,000 clerical, technical and paraprofessional workers employed by the state of Kentucky voted for a voice on the job with UAW. "We voted 'yes' because we want a voice at work," said Betty Collingsworth, a secretary in the Kentucky Department of Corrections in Paintsburg. "We want a seat at the table when it's time to talk about our wages, our pensions and our health care---and now we've got it." Thousands of workers are joining several unions in Kentucky in the wake of an executive order issued last year by Gov. Paul Patton (D). State health care workers already have voted to be represented by SEIU while Corrections and Social Services workers have voted in favor of AFSCME.

- In Florida, 102 clerical workers for the Hialeah Housing Authority voted for Council 79 and 35 clerical and technical workers at the Joliet (Ill.) Housing Authority chose Council 31.

- The 160 staff members at St. Mary's College of Maryland in St. Mary's City, voted Jan. 10 for AFSCME, the eighth MD. campus since November to choose the union. "The overwhelming margin of victory shows conclusively that there is a deep desire among higher education staff for a voice on the job," said Sally Davies, chair of AFSCME's statewide university steering committee.

- By an overwhelming margin, 60 newsroom employees of The Patriot Ledger in Quincy, Mass., voted recently for The Newspaper Guild/CWA. Another 20 employees at the Minnesota Public Interest Research Group in Minneapolis joined The Minnesota Newspaper Guild/Typographical Union through a card-check.

- The 200 office support employees and other workers at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) voted for AFSCME Jan. 23. "We built a strong feeling of community among the workers, and I'm very excited to see that unity reflected in the results," said Mattie Wells, a shuttle bus driver at UMES. Last year, several unions, including AFSCME, pooled their political and legislative strength to win collective bargaining rights at the state's 13 university campuses. In May 2002, Gov. Parris N. Glendening (D) signed a law giving university workers the right to join unions and negotiate with administrators for better wages and benefits.

- Some 150 counselors at the Woodbourne Juvenile Center in Baltimore voted Jan. 10 for Local 27. The center contracts with the state to supervise and counsel juvenile offenders.

- Citing a need for help in dealing with management, 80 clerical employees in the Webster (N.Y.) School District voted to join the NY. State United Teachers/AFT.