Last year, 2011 will be known as the year people stood up to anti-union legislation and governors, corporate greed and forming solidarity across the nation against the attacks on workers’ rights.

Here are the 11 most promising events from 2011.

1. Occupy Wall Street Inspires the 99 Percent to Fight Back

The birth of the Occupy Movement and its spread across the country and around the world was a hugely important development for all working people in 2011. TWU members can take pride that their union was one of the first to support this historic movement. Inspired in part by the Wisconsin uprising this protest of economic and social injustice fostered by corporate greed changed the focus of public dialogue to where it needs to be: on the needs of the middle class, working families, and poor and marginalized people -- the 99 percent.

Although some occupiers have been evicted and their encampments destroyed, the protesters are right when they say no one can destroy an idea whose time has come. Millions more Americans now understand that the 1 percent have rigged the system to capture a larger and larger share of the world's wealth and power, while the middle class and poor face unemployment, soaring student debt burdens, homelessness, and the disappearance of their retirement savings. Not only do people get it, they are doing something about it. As it becomes clear that neither corporate CEOs nor national political leaders have solutions to today's deep crises, thousands of grassroots activists are working together to make the change we need. The Occupy Movement, which is often called "leaderless," is actually full of emerging leaders who are building the skills and connections to create the economic and social changes that will benefit working families for decades to come.

2. Hard work by union members leads Ohio voters to repeal union-busting SB 5

When an anti-union Governor and legislature passed a law that would all but outlaw public sector collective bargaining, Ohio union members and their allies didn’t mourn, they organized. In only 90 days, TWU and other Ohio activists collected 1.3 million signatures, which filled a semi-truck, to repeal the union-busting SB 5. Once the referendum was on the ballot, unionists from all over the country united to defeat it. And defeat it we did. Ohio voters overwhelmingly voted to repeal the law, 61 to 39%. This important win built momentum for the Walker recall in Ohio and the 2012 elections. More importantly, it showed once again that when workers are united and strong, we win.

3. Wisconsin Leads the Way

When newly elected Koch Brothers front man Scott Walker pushed through the first law to effectively ban public sector collective bargaining, Wisconsinites immediately fought back. Thousands of young people put their lives on hold and occupied the State Capitol for weeks, inspiring all 14 Assembly Democrats to unprecedented discipline, principle and unity, and becoming a model for the nationwide Occupy movement. The so-called “Wisconsin 14” courageously left their homes and families and stayed out of state for the rest of the legislative session to try to prevent this assault on workers’ rights from becoming law.

Meanwhile, TWU members and hundreds of thousands of other workers’ rights activists from around the country descended on Wisconsin in the dead of winter to protest the measure. When the Governor and his allies in the State Senate failed to get the message and used legislative dirty tricks to ram the measure through, “Workers Rights are Human Rights” activists turned to the ballot box. Last summer, activists successfully recalled two of the leading union-busters in the State Senate. As soon as Walker became eligible for recall last November, activists went to work again, gathering over half a million signatures to recall the anti-union Governor in only a month of canvassing.

4. New NLRB Rules Help Protect Workers’ Rights

After Congress failed to pass the Employee Free Choice Act, President Obama’s appointees to the National Labor Relations Board used the rulemaking authority they have been granted by Congress to craft new regulations that would make it much harder for employers to use the tried and true tactic of busting unions by delaying elections. Under the old regulations, employers could endlessly delay elections by demanding hearings and pursuing appeals for years even where there was no disputed legal issue. The new rules preliminarily voted on by the Board in December will eliminate this loophole by requiring speedy elections and postponing legal fights until after the vote. Unfortunately, Republicans will probably refuse to confirm the President’s new appointments to the Board, leaving the new rules in legal limbo until after the 2012 elections.

5. New Hampshire Defeats Anti-Union “Right-to-Work” legislation

Last spring, New Hampshire's Republican-controlled state legislature passed so-called right-to-work legislation that would undermine the right to collectively bargain. But Democratic Governor Lynch vetoed the bill, and thanks to the efforts of thousands of workers’ rights supporters who wrote, called and lobbied legislators to uphold the veto and protect the freedom to have a union, conservatives were not able to override the veto. Working people won this vote despite underhanded tactics by state House leaders and big-money lobbying from out-of-state interests. As they did in Wisconsin and Ohio, working people in New Hampshire—union and non-union alike—stood up in support of basic workers’ rights. They preserved good jobs with fair wages and benefits and struck a blow against the anti-worker agenda.

6. TWU wins ILO Ruling that NY Strike Ban Violates Human Rights

In a historic ruling last November, the International Labor Organization (ILO), an independent agency of the United Nations, upheld TWU’s Complaint and found that New York’s law banning all strikes by public sector workers, as well as the harsh punishments it imposes on “illegal” strikes (including fines, loss of dues check off and imprisonment of union leaders), violates the fundamental human right to Freedom of Association protected under ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

The complaint was based on New York’s response to TWU Local 100’s 60 hour strike in December 2005. New York State courts responded to the strike with an array of penalties, including a $2.5 million fine on the union, a penalty of an additional day’s lost pay for each day each worker was out on strike, personal fines on the top three officers, and jail time for the Local President. Most harmfully, the courts ordered an end to Local 100’s automatic dues check off.

But TWU’s flagship Local was not so easy to kill. The ILO said New York’s Taylor Law should be amended to comply with Freedom of Association principles and that the union and its members should be compensated for the fines, the suspension of dues checkoff, and the detention of Local 100’s then-President, Roger Toussaint. International President James C. Little said, “This ruling from the ILO, which pertains to the critical New York City transit sector, could become a spearhead for the American labor movement’s defense of the rights of public sector workers, and eventually spur re-shaping of U.S. law in this area.” Whether and when the New York legislature and courts decide to implement the ILO’s recommendations remains to be seen.

7. TWU wins Allegiant Election, makes progress on first contract

In late December 2010, Allegiant flight attendants voted overwhelmingly for representation by TWU. The hard-working Allegiant negotiating committee dedicated 2011 to negotiating the terms of their first contract, wrapping up their final session of the year just as the 2011 holiday season began. The team has made a lot of progress, with 15 articles signed off on by both sides, and six negotiation dates already set for the first three months of 2012. The parties left two of the harder provisions for last—compensation and hours of service—but TWU’s Allegiant team is excited about the progress they made last year, and optimistic about signing off on their first ever CBA this year.

8. Activism stalls job and climate killing Keystone XL pipeline

Under President Jim Little, TWU has been a leader in advocating for major “New Deal” type investments in infrastructure modernization and repair, public transportation, energy conservation and climate protection as a means of putting people to work and laying the foundations of a more sustainable economic future for the United States. This is a transition that sound science and sound economics tell us we must make today, not in some far off future, in order to prevent irreversible harm to our planet’s climate, and to provide good jobs now for the millions of Americans who desperately need them. The proposed Keystone XL pipeline would take us in the opposite direction, increasing our reliance on dirty bitumen sands oil and stalling critical efforts to create the jobs we need to transition to a more sustainable economy.

The pipeline appeared to be on a fast track to approval, but thanks to the efforts of TWU and a handful of other unions allied with millions of climate justice activists, in November the State Department delayed its decision on the project, and President Obama has said that if Republicans again try to force him to make a premature decision by tying the pipeline’s fate to another payroll tax cut extension early in 2012, he’ll kill the project for good.

9. Movements Build Strength by Connecting Across Borders

In 2011,we saw working people in the US – and the world -- building a “matrix of intersecting and increasingly interconnected movements around the world—the Arab Spring, the Indignados in Spain, ongoing Latin American mobilizations and the most recent, Occupy in the US, among others--transforming the global web of politics,” according to Roberto Lovato, founder of presente.org.

TWU contributed to this development, serving on a Tribunal investigating abuses of workers’ rights by the Mexican government, participating in the UN climate negotiations, and playing a leading a role in the ITF, the global federation of transport unions. In 2011, TWU hosted an ITF strategy meeting in its new DC headquarters for unions of workers employed by the One World air carriers, and aided ITF campaigns in support of transport workers employed by Veolia in the United States and UPS in Turkey, among others.

10. New Protections For The Young And Uninsured

Thanks to one of the major provisions of the Affordable Health Care Act, 2.5 million 18-25 year olds received health insurance in 2011 by being able to stay on their parent’s plans until age 26. Without the so-called dependent provision in the health care reform bill, its likely most of these recent high school or college graduates would have joined the ranks of the uninsured. It’s progress, for sure, but there are still 8 million uninsured 18-25 year olds— either because their parents don’t have private health coverage, their employer doesn’t offer it or they can’t afford it. Young people who can’t continue on their parent’s insurance will get help from the new law in 2014, when many will become eligible for Medicaid and subsidies to help buy private insurance will kick in.

11. Consumers Get A New Watchdog For Their Wallets

The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau officially opened for business in July 2011. The CFPB was the brainchild of Elizabeth Warren, who was appointed by the President to get the agency up and running. After the financial collapse wiped out nearly $11 trillion of household wealth, much of it tangled up in sub-prime mortgages, the new Bureau was included in the Dodd-Frank financial reform bill. The CFPB protects consumers from confusing, and often, predatory financial practices, through rule-making, enforcement and research. Republicans vehemently oppose the Bureau and are seeking to weaken its authority. They’ve pledged to filibuster any nominated director until the teeth are knocked out of the agency’s power, and so far, have made good on their promise.

TWU International Officers, President James C. Little, Secretary-Treasurer Joe Gordon, Vice President Harry Lombardo, Administrative Vice President John Conley, Chief of Staff Jeffrey L. Brooks, and other senior staff join the spirited picket greeting the Wisconsin Governor. They vowed to keep up the fight for working families and defend the middle class wherever it is being threatened.

When Republican state senators from Wisconsin showed up in Washington, DC to meet with their business cronies and get some more corporate dollars, hundreds of protesters got through security and staged a vocal protest inside the building to disrupt the meeting.

The spirit of Wisconsin was alive and well in the nation’s capitol as hundreds of people came to let the Wisconsin GOP leaders know that working people will not be silent while workers’ rights are violated. Hundreds of people toting signs and chanting “This is what democracy looks like” disrupted the $1000 per person fundraiser from the inside while hundreds more picketed outside during the rush hour in downtown DC. The entire block of 13th Street was eventually blocked off as the crowd of union members, activists and students grew. What was planned as a fundraiser for union busting politicians turned into a fiasco.

“The attack on working families going on in states around the country is a wake up call and people are standing up and saying no. The politicians who have failed to deliver for the middle class will quickly find they will no longer be representing us,” said TWU International President James C. Little who marched on the picket.

Many of the Republican state senators in Wisconsin are facing recall, as a campaign is heating up to remove them from office. Numerous polls have shown the popularity of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker and Republican state senators nose diving and that the public supports collective bargaining.

Justice was served for two TWU Local 721 shop stewards at Wynn Casino in Las Vegas when a judge ruled they should be reinstated after the company illegally retaliated against them for being union activists.

An administrative law judge for the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) ruled to uphold workers’ rights by ordering Wynn to give Ronda Larson her job back and restore David Sackin to full standing. The judge found the company guilty of violating labor law and punishing workers for their union engagement with firings and suspensions.

“This decision is a victory for workers’ rights and the right to have a union and a voice on the job,” said TWU International President James C. Little. “Thankfully, these TWU members will have their jobs back and the company will have to follow the law.”

Larson will return to her job on the casino floor and is entitled to back wages for the time she was fired. According to the judge, the company was looking for an excuse to fire Larson because she helped organize the union. Sackin will return to full job standing after being suspended in retaliation for his outspoken support of his co-workers.

“You should not have any fear in openly supporting your Union and participating in Union conversations or activities because you are protected by Federal Law if you do,” said Local 721 President Kanie Kastroll.

This ruling shows that management cannot discipline their employees for exercising their right to have a union, yet all too often companies are able to intimidate workers because the NLRB process is too slow and too weak. Workers need tougher enforcement and stronger laws to ensure they have the freedom to join and be involved in a union.

After nearly four years of struggle the dealers at Wynn Casino in Las Vegas, who are members of TWU Local 721, ratified a historic collective bargaining agreement, marking the first union contract for dealers in Las Vegas.

With the contract, the 600 Wynn dealers have secured their right to union representation and will now have a voice on the job. They are no longer “at-will” employees who can be fired at any time and management no longer has the ability to make arbitrary decisions and alter work policies on a whim.

“This was a long and tough fight, but when we stick together we can win against big companies,” said TWU International President James C. Little. “This is a crucial step for the dealers at Wynn and workers in Las Vegas.”

The ratification of a contract was the culmination of a long battle to secure union rights for dealers in Las Vegas, a group of workers who have little union representation in Las Vegas, unlike other professions and sectors. Casino companies have been ruthless in attempting to prevent the dealers from organizing. Still, the Wynn dealers, along with dealers at Caesar’s Palace, decided to join TWU in 2007 but faced company opposition to signing a decent contract.

The bargaining committee worked hard to get concessions from Wynn and to keep the membership informed about negotiation proceedings. TWU International mobilized resources and provided expertise with TWU International Gaming Division Director Joe Carbon and TWU International Organizer Steve Roberts assisting the bargaining team. Hundreds of TWU members and leaders rallied in Las Vegas during the International Convention last summer to call attention to the need for a fair contract.

“We are so proud of our members for passing this historic vote with such a strong margin and extremely high voter participation,” said President of Local 721 Kanie Kastroll. “They have demonstrated that they truly understand the value of union protection, brotherhood and a labor contract.”

The contract was strongly approved by 80 percent of the members who voted on the contract, which will create grievance procedures, establish protections against terminations and ensure no further givebacks to the company.

"The overwhelming support shown for the contract was a vote of confidence for the union, and sent a clear message to the company about the deal," said Carbon.

Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada was seeing red today, literally, when hundreds of Transport Workers Union members rallied outside of the building wearing red “Support Your Dealer” tee-shirts and chanting, “No contract, no peace!”

“These dealers deserve dignity and respect, and a grievance process,” said TWU President James C. Little. “It is despicable the way they are refusing to give their dealers a contract.”

About 800 TWU members passionately marched up and down E. Flamingo and Las Vegas Blvds in front of Caesar’s Palace for more than an hour as Harrah’s executives looked on.

Dealers at Caesars Palace voted in December of 2007 by a 3 to 1 margin to be represented by Local 721 of the Gaming Division of the Transport Workers Union, but have been unable to bring long negotiations to a conclusion with a contract. After engaging in anti-union election tactics in 2007, Harrah’s Entertainment, the parent company of Caesars Palace, has stalled contract negotiations for its 600 dealers for nearly two years.

“Two years is too long,” said Joe Carbon, director of TWU’s Gaming Division, a phrase that became a favored chant by TWU members at the rally. Kanie Kastroll, a Wynn dealer and acting president of Local 721 added, “it shouldn’t take a federal law to get a fair contract.”

“Dealers are hard-working individuals who deserve a fair contract, as do all laborers in the United States,” said TWU Local 556 member Teri Queen.

Wynn and Caesar’s Palace dealers present at the rally expressed gratitude for the TWU’s efforts to win them fair wages and contracts. “We embrace all the members, officers and all the help that TWU has given to us,” said Josephine Tang, a Wynn casino dealer. “All the dealers in Las Vegas appreciate TWU’s help.”

“This is just another perfect example of how leaders of corporate America don’t believe their workers deserve the same kind of benefits that they receive themselves,” said Assistant Director of the Air Transport Division Bobby Gless.

On Tuesday, President Obama is expected to endorse the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) in a speech to the national AFL-CIO convention. EFCA would mandate that employers and unions enter into binding arbitration if agreement could not be reached on a first contract in a timely manner. Harrah’s would be outlawed. EFCA is expected to go to Congress as soon as a replacement is named for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

A large gathering of casino dealers, TWU members and other supporters of the right of gaming workers to form unions will protest in front of Caesars Palace tomorrow at 4 p.m. PST and 7 p.m. EST.

Dealers at Caesars Palace voted in December of 2007 by a 3 to 1 margin to be represented by Local 721 of the Gaming Division of the Transport Workers Union, but have been unable to bring long negotiations to a conclusion with a contract. Harrah’s Entertainment, the parent company of Caesars Palace, after engaging in anti-union election tactics in 2007, has stalled contract negotiations for its 600 dealers for nearly two years.

“Two years is too long,” said Joe Carbon, director of TWU’s Gaming Division. Kanie Kastroll, a Wynn dealer and acting president of Local 721 added, “it shouldn’t take a federal law to get a fair contract.”

On Tuesday, President Obama is expected to endorse the Employee Free Choice Act (EFCA) in a speech to the national AFL-CIO convention. EFCA would mandate that employers and unions enter into binding arbitration if agreement could not be reached on a first contract in a timely manner. Harrah’s would be outlawed. EFCA is expected to go to Congress as soon as a replacement is named for the late Senator Edward M. Kennedy.

Check twu.org for footage of the protest on Friday, September 18.

In addition to formation of the new TWU/UAW/SEIU/AFL-CIO Gaming Workers Council, the AFL-CIO Executive Council passed a resolution at its most recent meeting calling on all gaming employers to stop violating federal labor law and to begin bargaining in good faith.

The resolution stated: “The gaming industry long has been known for providing good union jobs with stable employment, solid wages and benefits. While that reputation is deserved for certain portions of the workforce, thousands of gaming workers do not enjoy the security of union contracts.”

The resolution continued: “In the past two years, dealers, slot technicians and other gaming workers who traditionally have not been organized have formed unions, won elections and in some instances are bargaining contracts. In New Jersey, Connecticut, Nevada and Indiana, these workers have waged heroic fights to win justice and a real say in their working conditions. “Unfortunately, employer opposition stands in the way of achieving real justice. Casino owners have fired worker-activists, intimidated workers during elections and refused to bargain despite overwhelming union victory margins in certified National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) elections.”

The resolution urged statewide elected leaders to wield their influence to break the bargaining logjam.

Union leaders from TWU, the United Auto Workers (UAW), the Service Employees (SEIU) and the AFL-CIO this month announced formation of a Gaming Workers Council to expand current organizing efforts for table game dealers and to achieve first contracts for properties already organized.

The announcement took place at a press conference at the UAW hall in Atlantic City.  AFL-CIO President John Sweeney, TWU Executive Vice President Harry Lombardo, SEIU International President Andy Stern and UAW Secretary Treasurer Elizabeth Bunn represented their respective organizations at the event.

AFL-CIO President Sweeney said that the new coalition will add power to gaming workers “who are courageously pursuing their dreams.  We will be stepping up our efforts to ensure that these gaming workers receive the contract they deserve—and they shouldn’t have to wait another day.”

TWU’s Lombardo added:  “The casinos we are dealing with were once Nevada-only businesses but today are national and multinational in their reach. If we are to best represent workers in the gaming industry, unions need to take a national, and perhaps global, approach and that is exactly what we are doing today.”

"This is about workers," said UAW Secretary-Treasurer Elizabeth Bunn.  "It’s about workers who have had their hours reduced, who are paying more for health care, who have lost their seniority rights, and who have been shut out at the bargaining table by casino executives who make millions of dollars a year." "Let there be no misunderstanding.  We stand side by side with the women and men who have formed their own unions to ensure the gaming industry hears their voices and does right by them," said SEIU President Andy Stern. "We hope the power of persuasion will bring the casinos to the bargaining table, but if it takes the persuasion of power to bring these workers justice, we will be by their side."

In addition to new organizing drives, the council will assist in bargaining efforts on behalf of casino workers in Atlantic City, Las Vegas, Indiana, Connecticut and elsewhere who have voted to form their own unions and are fighting to win first contracts. The council members also plan to reach out to hundreds of thousands of unorganized casino workers and communicate about working conditions in the gaming industry to union members, the public, elected officials, casino regulators and investors.

TWU won drives at Caesars Palace and Wynn Las Vegas in the past year, but management at both properties is stonewalling collective bargaining efforts. The UAW has had similar organizing successes in Atlantic City at the Tropicana, Trump Plaza and Bally’s with similar problems at the table.