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Friday, May 1, 2026

Even With Thinning Ranks, Unions Organize for Change - Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting

Second in a series.

Unions have impacted every American worker.

From laws that curb the use of child labor to the 40-hour work week and holidays off, organized labor demanded – on occasion forced – governments and corporations to provide benefits and protections most people take for granted. In more practical terms, Charlotte’s transit system last week averted a work stoppage that could’ve made it more difficult for commuters to move across the city.

Bus drivers and mechanics – represented by SMART Local 1715 – ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with the company that manages Charlotte Area Transit System’s (CATS) bus system by a vote margin of 20 to 1. The contract calls for a wage increase retroactive to July 1, 2022, double-time for work during holidays and adds Juneteenth to the holiday schedule. It also provides night differential pay and increases workers’ pension cap.

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“I would like to thank the negotiations committee … for their hard work and tireless effort to deliver a package that the members would accept,” SMART Transportation Division Bus Department Vice President Calvin Studivant said in a statement. “The negotiations took more than nine months to complete, but the committee stayed focused on the task at...



Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiTWh0dHBzOi8vcHVsaXR6ZXJjZW50ZXIub3Jn...