ALF Weekly Report — August 26th
The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation Weekly Report comes out (nearly) every Thursday with news and updates relevant to the Gulf Coast labor movement. To subscribe, click here.
Normally, August is a sleepy month in the Gulf Coast, but that has definitely not been the case this year. Because this is the first ALF Weekly Report for August, this edition will include news from throughout the month.
Gulf Coast Unions Lead Fight for Safe Schools
On August 11th, union school workers, students and parents came together to demand safe learning environments for students and safe workplaces for staff in schools across the Gulf Coast.
Students, parents, teachers, and support staff are all calling on our local leaders to lead where Governor Abbott and Republicans in the Texas legislature have failed. It’s well past time to enact safety guidelines that follow the guidance of the CDC and other public health experts, including mask mandates.
Thanks to effective union advocacy, Houston ISD, Fort Bend ISD, Galena Park ISD, and Aldine ISD have all implemented mask mandates, and we continue to call on all others to do the same.
Union Volunteers Help More than 1,000 Working People Connect with Recovery Assistance
On August 4th, over 1,200 working people struggling to recover from the COVID recession got help at the IBEW Local Union 716 hall.
Tens of thousands of working people in our area have lost their jobs, especially in hospitality, entertainment, and conventions. When you don’t work for months on end, it’s impossible to keep up with rent and other bills
That’s why unions have been so involved in keeping Harris County housed — union stitchers and stagehands from IATSE Local 51 and IATSE Local 896, union painters from Iupat District Council 88 and many others — our brothers and sisters are sleeping in their cars, and we’re doing all we can to get them the help they need.
Thanks to all the unions who pitched in to make yesterday’s event a success. The union electricians from IBEW Local 716 hosted and worked hard to made this the smoothest #KeepHarrisHoused event to date. IATSE and International Union of Painters and Allied Trades were well represented, as always, as well as an amazing team from HOPE Local 123 (Houston Organization of Public Employees). Thanks to the members from Houston Federation of Teachers, Plumbers Local Union 68, and Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association who also volunteered, as well as UNITE HERE Local 23, Teamsters Local Union №988, and Houston Educational Support Personnel/HESP for supporting the event.
Steelworkers Picket Oil Industry Event in Support of Locked out Beaumont Workers
On August 17th, local labor activists joined our brothers and sisters from United Steelworkers Local 13–243 in Beaumont at the Offshore Technology Conference to let the energy industry know it’s time for ExxonMobil to end the lockout, return the USW members to their jobs and negotiate in good faith for a fair contract.
On May 1, 2021, members of USW Local 13–243 reported for work and were turned away by ExxonMobil, despite the company recording $2.7 billion in earnings for the first three months of 2021. The company has refused multiple attempts the USW has made to compromise on a new labor agreement since then.
HOPE Negotiates New Agreement with City of Houston
Houston’s municipal workers will see 9 percent raises over the next three years and a higher minimum wage, following City Council’s approval of a new contract with its civilian employees Wednesday.
Council unanimously approved the deal earlier this month, which was announced June 23. Members of the Houston Organization for Public Employees have also ratified the agreement.
State Employees Picket Abbott Mansion as Deadline Closes to Restore Staff Pay
Texas State Employees Union (CWA Local 6186) led a picket earlier this month in front of Governor Greg Abbott’s Mansion, demanding he restore pay for Capitol staff.
In June, Abbott vetoed the section of the state budget that includes pay for legislative staff. If funding is not restored in the next week, salaries will be cut in September.
Take action to support Texas State Employees
TWU Local 260 Continues Effective Internal Organizing Drive
Transport Workers Local 260, which represents workers at METRO, celebrated another graduating class of 100% Union membership. The TWU internal organizing drive at METRO was recognized at last year’s Working Families Awards Celebration as one of the most effective in the Gulf Coast region.
Union Leaders Named to New Houston Women’s Commission
Yesterday, Houston City Council established the first Women’s Commission to advance equity for women in our city. Union members Carmen Pena Abrego from HOPE Local 123 (Houston Organization of Public Employees) and Elsa Caballero from SEIU Texas were both named to serve on the commission.
More workers are dying from heat. Texas may make it harder to protect them
Republican lawmakers in Texas are pushing a bill, Senate Bill 14, that would eliminate minimal city and county protections that help workers survive on very hot days, which are increasing in number and severity with climate change. The bill, which was passed by the Texas Senate in May, strips municipalities of the ability to regulate employment benefits and policies, and was proposed in order to stop cities from issuing protections related to the COVID-19 pandemic, like mandatory sick leave.
Senate Bill 14 is being heard in closed committee today. They are not allowing public testimony or sharing video of the hearing.
Gulf Coast Unions Continue to Speak Out Against Voter Suppression Bill SB1
Voting rights ARE workers’ rights. That’s why Roy Sanchez from HOPE Local 123 (Houston Organization of Public Employees) and Candis Houston from Aldine AFT drove to Austin early Monday morning to against voter suppression bill Senate Bill 1.
Senate Bill 1 is being debated on the House floor this morning. Watch Live here
Changes at NLRB May Open Up New Opportunities for Worker Organizing
Jennifer Abruzzo has released her first General Counsel Memo since being confirmed to the top prosecutor position of the National Labor Relations Board, and it includes much that provides reason for optimism.
Dating back to 1949, Joy Silk held that if an employer was presented with a union’s request for recognition and the employer did not possess a good-faith doubt as to the union’s majority status when it refused to recognize the union, an employer would deemed to have violated Section 8(a)(5) of the NLRA and be ordered to bargain with the union.
Not only is she going to prioritize reversing as much Trump era precedent as possible, but she intends to revisit some long-dormant case law that harkened back to a day of stronger enforcement of the National Labor Relations Act. Specifically, Abruzzo wants to revive the Joy Silk doctrine for bargaining orders.
Liz Shuler Elected as New President of AFL-CIO
On August 20th, the AFL-CIO Executive Council elected Liz Shuler, to serve as the president of the AFL-CIO. Shuler is the first woman to hold the office in the history of the labor federation.
The Executive Council also elected United Steelworkers International Vice President Fred Redmond to succeed Shuler as secretary-treasurer, the first African American to hold the number two office.
Tefere Gebre will continue as executive vice president, rounding out the most diverse team of officers ever to lead the AFL-CIO
Workers making Oreos and other Nabisco snacks are on strike in five states.
Unionized workers who make Oreos, Chips Ahoy!, Newtons and other Nabisco snacks are on strike in five states over what they say are unfair demands for concessions in contract negotiations.
Members of the Bakery, Confectionery, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers union in Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Oregon and Virginia have rejected management’s call for changes in shift lengths and overtime rules.
FLRA Orders Trial on Union-Busting Charges at Education Department
The Federal Labor Relations Authority has ordered a hearing into 14 charges of labor law violations brought by the American Federation of Government Employees against the Department of Education under the previous administration.
“The Department of Education as of this date has failed to remedy the harm done to employees and our union through the illegal actions undertaken by the Trump administration,” AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.
DNC Voluntarily Recognizes Staff Union
Staff members at the Democratic National Committee (DNC) are the latest workers to organize after committee officials agreed to voluntarily recognize their union. The employees will be represented by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 500 which represents public sector workers in the DC and Maryland area.
17,000 Student Workers in University of California Unionize
California’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) confirmed Wednesday that a majority of the University of California’s 17,000 student researchers voted to form a union.
“We’re thrilled that PERB has verified our majority,” said Maya Holay, a student researcher in the department of nanoengineering at UC San Diego, in the press release. “The fact that this happened during COVID underlines how strongly we believe in using our collective voice to improve our working conditions and, in turn, the quality of research at UC.”
NY Times Lawyers Accidentally Send Private Strategy Memo to Staff Union
The New York Times is engaged in a contentious back and forth with several hundred of the paper’s technology and product staffers who announced a unionization drive earlier this year. So it was likely a bit embarrassing when the law firm representing the paper’s management accidentally sent a private strategy memo to representatives for the newly unionized staff.
Workers at Colectivo Win Largest Cafe Chain Union in Country
Workers at Colectivo Coffee have won their election to unionize with the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, the NLRB ruled today.
They will now make up the largest cafe workers union in the country, representing 300+ baristas, bakers & other workers across ~20 stores in two states.
Instead of working to keep our schools safe, our people healthy, and ensure our grid won’t fail again like it did last February, our state’s leadership is promoting voter suppression, attacks on local labor protections, penalties for classroom teachers looking to teach the truth about history, and discrimination against children.
Last month, the Gulf Coast labor movement rallied in a big way. 26 affiliates sent nearly 100 members to Austin to show solidarity with House Democrats and demand our GOP legislators to stop their attacks on worker rights. But we need to do so much more now.
We need to rally at the Capitol, the Houston-area offices of State Reps and Senators, and make our voices heard. We need you to join the fight and defend worker rights across our state.
