December 26, 2012
CHICAGO (Dec. 26)–The Chicago Federation of Labor (CFL) announced it once again will offer five academic-based scholarships and five random-drawing scholarships next year to students who have a parent in a CFL-affiliated local or are themselves a member of such a local.
It will be the 30th year that the CFL has offered the scholarships, named for the late William A. Lee, who served as CFL president from 1954 to 1984. Each scholarship is worth $2,000.
UTU Illinois Legislative Director Bob Guy urged children of eligible UTU members to compete for the union-sponsored college money.
“Even for families with members earning union-scale wages and benefits, the expense of sending a child to college remains a very large burden,” said Guy. “All UTU members with college-age children should urge their sons and daughters to compete for a Lee Scholarship.”
A CFL spokesman said students may apply either for the academic-based scholarship, which is based on a student’s grade-point average, plus other criteria; or for the randomly awarded scholarship, which is based on a drawing. Applying in both categories is not permitted.
Applications are available on line at www.chicagolabor.org. The application form lists all rules and criteria governing the awards process. Completed applications must be returned to the Chicago Federation of Labor, William A. Lee Memorial Scholarship Committee, 130 E. Randolph St., Suite 2600, Chicago IL 60601.
All applications must be signed by one of the two top officers of the local to which the student or his parent belongs. The period for submitting applications is January 1 to March 1.
“I strongly urge students from UTU families to compete for a Lee Scholarship,” Guy said. “It’s a special benefit of union membership that reaches down to the next generation, and it represents yet another benefit to those UTU locals that have taken that extra step to re-affiliate with the CFL.”
Guy said four UTU locals are now affiliated with the CFL: Nos. 577, 1290, 1534 and 1973.
