CATS bus operators vote to approve new contract, strike averted: Monday, Feb. 6

Bus operators with the Charlotte-Area Transit System (CATS) voted in the majority to approve a new contract Saturday evening.A pair of sources confirmed with WCNC Charlotte that operators within the local SMART Union chapter voted 204-11 in favor of the contract. The approval of this contract comes less than a week after SMART Union and CATS managing company RATP Dev came to a tentative agreement to avoid a potential strike.One source said pay increases of up to $3 per hour are included, along with improved health insurance benefits and coverage options. Night differential pay, double-time pay for holidays, and changes to the bidding of work process are also part of the contract.READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/local/cats-bus-operators-contract-approve-north-carolina-charlotte/275-ff86e659-4b19-4eb3-a5e0-da8d6f7b224bNational Democrats voted to move South Carolina up on the political calendar, making it the first in the nation to vote in the Democratic primary.South Carolina is replacing Iowa and, in this upcoming presidential election, the Democratic Party will be starting here. This means that all Democratic presidential candidates will begin in the Palmetto State with a primary election.There are multiple contributing factors to why Democratic leaders said they consider South Carolina the ideal state.“Since 1992, every candidate who has won the South Carolina primary has gone on to be the Democratic nominee with one exception - in 2004," Antjuan Seawright, a Democratic strategist, said.Aside from a 31-year history of Democratic nominees, it’s also important to note that diversity was a part of the decision when choosing which state to replace Iowa.“Sixty percent of the people who cast their vote in the Democratic primary in South Carolina are African American. The demographics and the geographics of our state make us very flavorful and reflective of who the Democratic primary party is and where we’re headed," Seawright said.READ MORE: https://www.wcnc.com/article/news/politics/democratic-national-committee-votes-south-carolina-first-democratic-primary/101-66b9d358-a5a0-4289-bed9-3bc99864626eWatch Wake Up Charlotte each weekday morning from 4:30 to 7 a.m. on WCNC Charlotte, and as always, join the conversation on social media using #WakeUpCLT!