Since the nearly 10,000 passenger service agents at American Airlines said in 2011 they wanted to vote on joining the Communications Workers of America (CWA), the airline has battled every step of the way. Now it says it is going to the U.S. Supreme Court to block the workers’ right to vote.

While Oregonians exercised power at the polls in the 2012 elections Tuesday, workers in Portland also were gearing up for another election that would give them a powerful voice on the job.

After electoral wins across the state and three successful organizing drives in the past three months, full-time, part-time and extra board paratransit drivers and dispatchers with First Transit Region 3 voted Wednesday to form their own union with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 757. By an overwhelming margin, 160 employees voted to form the union in the election yesterday, which was conducted by the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB).

Here’s a roundup of reactions to last night’s election victory by President Obama and other working family candidates from national and state union leaders.

AFT President Randi Weingarten:

The American people voted today to create opportunity and shared prosperity by sharing responsibility, and to reject the cynical "you’re on your own" philosophy.

Check out the AFL-CIO's new In Our Communities website feature, "Recovering After Superstorm Sandy."

The recovery from Superstorm Sandy could be one of the most expensive in American history, with estimates climbingtoward the $50 billion mark in property damage alone. As Americans all across the country pitch in, most of the work repairing and rebuilding the storm-ravaged areas will be done by talented and hardworking union members. Many of the organizations dealing with Sandy’s devastation emphasize the importance of union workers’ expertise and skill, as well as of sufficient government financial support for rebuilding physical structures and roads and, in many cases, people's lives. Here is what our members have been doing to help with the recovery:

If you're in New York and need assistance locating Hurricane Sandy resources or want to volunteer to help, here are some links to get you started:

Governor Andrew M. Cuomo's Website

This site has comprehensive info on applying for FEMA assistance, updates on gas shortages, warming centers and tips for cold weather, transportation (bridges, roads, subways, railways), food assistance, power outage updates, unemployment insurance and more.

http://www.governor.ny.gov/ 

Working people up and down the East Coast are pitching in to alert people about the clean up efforts for Hurricane Sandy and provide information for transportation, shelter and other resources. Firefighters, public employees, utility workers, letter carriers, nurses, grocery store employees, hotel workers and others continued to work through the storm to make sure everyone is taken care of. Once again, we’re reminded that work connects us all, and we’re better together. Here are some unions and agencies you can follow on Twitter and Facebook who've been hard at work during the storm:

More than 13,000 workers represented by the Communications Workers of America (CWA) in 13 Western and Midwestern states are fighting for a fair contract at CenturyLink. Their contract was set to expire at midnight on Oct. 6, but workers stayed on the job under a temporary extension while they try to win a fair contract.

The workers—customer service agents, network technicians, Internet support workers and others—voted earlier by 88% to authorize a strike if a fair contract cannot be reached.

More than 1,800 Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers employed by American Medical Response (AMR) in Northern California and 500 EMS workers at New England EMS voted last week to join AFSCME, while more than 900 telecom, health care and other workers chose a voice at work with AFL-CIO unions.

Kathy Ivy (see video), a paramedic in Contra Costa County with 18 years’ experience, said:

Having a stable job can completely change your life. Communications Workers of America (CWA) just released a new YouTube video, Insourced, featuring recently hired workers whose lives improved because they have call center jobs. CWA negotiated agreements with AT&T and US Airways that brought jobs back to the United States.

Watch the video in the post, and read more about the Call Center Worker and Consumer Protection Act at www.cwa-union.org/callcenterbill. 

The Communications Workers of America (CWA) and the Electrical Workers (IBEW) have reached a tentative contract agreement with Verizon. The two unions and Verizon had been in federal mediation since July.