ALF Weekly Report — 2/4/21
The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation Weekly Report comes out every Thursday with news and updates relevant to the Gulf Coast labor movement. To subscribe, click here.
Gulf Coast Unions Celebrate Black History
February is Black History Month, and Gulf Coast unions are celebrating by remembering the black leaders who have shaped our movement and helped propel progress forward for all working people. Throughout the month, the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation will also be highlighting the black labor leaders making history today.
To nominate a leader to be featured, click here.
Houston Firefighters Union and Labor Allies Push Back Against Suspension of Marty Lancton
Lacy Wolf, President of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, joined Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy in issuing the following statement on Monday regarding the City’s indefinite suspension of Marty Lancton, President of Fire Fighters Local 341.
NE Houston AFT Holds Successful Membership Drive Over Zoom
Last week, NE Houston AFT hosted their first remote ‘Join-A-Thon’ using Zoom. President Shonda Below said the event was a success, with 59 education professionals participating. NE Houston AFT also used email and Hustle to potential members to drive interest.
Houston Professional Musicians (AFM 65–699) Provide Free Concerts to ICU Patients
Houston Symphony musicians and members of Houston AFM have taken the lead in bringing music to patients at Houston Methodist. Violinist Christopher Neal says that he sees his work helping patients heal as deeply connected to his union values. “The great part about being in a union is that we band together to take care of everybody,” he said.
Pipefitters Receive Grant to Expand HVAC 911 Program
Pipefitters Local 211 announced that they’ve received a $30,000 grant from their international union, the United Association, to expand their HVAC 911 apprenticeship program. According to Ace Coody, the program structure is based on the Plumbers 911 program, and provides state of the art training for apprentices. Thanks to the quality of their training programs, Local 211 has recently organized 2 residential construction companies, and hopes to expand further in the coming years.
For more information about Local 211 apprenticeship programs, click here.
Amazon’s Anti-Union Campaign Includes Assault on Mail Voting
A battle over voting by mail is again being waged in an electoral contest. But now it’s Amazon that opposes a mail-ballot election in order to thwart a unionization effort at an Alabama fulfillment center.
Union-buster Amazon Will Pay Workers $61 Million After Stealing Tips
Amazon has agreed to pay $61.7 million to settle allegations that it stole its Amazon Flex drivers tips over a two-and-a-half year period, the Federal Trade Commission said on Tuesday.
PRO Act Introduced in House and Senate
The PRO Act was re-introduced by Democrats in the House and Senate today. The bill, which would introduce the biggest changes to US Labor law since the Wagner Act in 1935 and roll back Right to Work legislation and many other anti-worker policies, was co-sponsored by Houston-area Representatives Al Green, Sheila Jackson Lee, and Sylvia Garcia.
New NLRB General Counsel Signals Big Changes
The first major impact of Peter Sung Ohr’s short tenure as General Counsel of the National Labor Relations Board has been felt. A few days after withdrawing his predecessor Peter Robb’s litigation targeting the legality of neutrality agreements, Ohr issued a memo which wiped away most of Robb’s influence over the Board’s handling of its caseload.
John J. Sweeney, former AFL-CIO leader, dies at 86
John Sweeney, who led an era of transformative change in America’s labor movement, passed away Feb. 1 at the age of 86. Sweeney was one of four children born to Irish immigrants in a working-class Bronx neighborhood shortly after the Great Depression. His parents, James and Agnes Sweeney, worked as a bus driver and a domestic worker, respectively. Sweeney always understood the struggles and the pride of working people.
Senate Democrats vote to proceed with a Covid relief package without Republicans
Senate Democrats voted to move forward with President Biden’s $1.9 Trillion COVID relief package through budget reconciliation on Tuesday. This process allows for a simple majority vote. The decision to move forward without Republican votes comes after the GOP refused to include state and local aid and worked to decrease unemployment benefits to working people.
Texas to Launch $1.3 Billion Rent Assistance Program
The pandemic has caused millions of Texans to fall behind on their rent. The new program will distribute federal funds authorized in December as part of the most recent stimulus package. Authorities say the program will open in the next two weeks.
President Biden recently extended the CDC eviction moratorium to March 31st. The moratorium protects most renters from eviction, but doesn’t not relieve them of the responsibility to pay back rent. More information on the moratorium can be found here.
Organizers Cancel 2021 Houston Rodeo
Organizers had previously pushed the event back two months. It’s the second year in a row the event was forced to shut down.
Texas Receives New Vaccine Shipments
Texas was scheduled to get more than 520,000 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine this week, more than state officials said they had originally expected to receive. Fort Bend County received 12,000 new doses from state authorities on Tuesday, according to County Judge KP George.
Signup information for the COVID Vaccine
The Biden Administration and local authorities have continued to ramp up efforts to vaccinate front line workers and vulnerable populations in the class 1A and 1B categories. You can find the full list of Texas vaccine providers here. You do not need to be a resident of a county or city to register.
To register for a vaccine, click on the links below.
If you are looking for a provider in any region in Texas, click here.
