ALF Weekly Report — June 24th
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.
HISD Food Workers Fight to Reverse Pay Cut
In an inexplicable decision, HISD administrators announced a pay cut for blue collar workers last week. The cut is the result of a change in the 2021–22 academic calendar, which is five days shorter than previous years.
Wretha Thomas, president of the Houston Educational Support Personnel (HESP) Union rightly called for the money to come from district administrators’ paychecks, rather than the district’s lowest-paid workers who have put their safety on the line during the COVID pandemic.
Municipal Workers Reach Agreement with City of Houston
Houston has reached a new agreement with HOPE/AFSCME Local 123, a pact that would give civilian workers 3 percent across-the-board raises each of the next three years and raise the minimum wage to $14.25/hour, a big win for the lowest paid workers.
“One of the things I’m most proud of is that this agreement raises wages significantly for those municipal employees that are the lowest paid,” said Dwight Bradley, Treasurer for HOPE Local 123. “We definitely made significant progress on that front.”
The agreement must be ratified by the members before it goes into effect.
Gulf Coast Teachers’ Unions Win Raises and Bonuses
Teachers unions in districts across the Gulf Coast have won big for their members over the past month.
Houston Federation of Teachers successfully lobbied the Houston ISD school board to approve a $2,500 raise for teachers and staff on the teacher pay scale and a $500 retention bonus for all employees who return to HISD in September. Northeast Houston AFT won major victories in two of the school districts they represent, Galena Park ISD and Sheldon ISD. School boards in both ISDs approved a 3% pay raise for teachers and support staff.
Houston Professional Musicians’ Association celebrates Make Music Day
Held on June 21st, Make Music is part of the international Fête de la Musique, taking place in 700 cities across 103 countries. The daylong musical free-for-all celebrates music in all its forms, encouraging people to band together and play in free public concerts.
This year, Houston Professional Musicians spearheaded the event in Houston, one of twenty-five US cities which organized Make Music celebrations, encompassing thousands of concerts nationwide.
Firefighters Launch Petition to Mandate Arbitration with City of Houston
Every three years the City of Houston and Houston firefighters sit down to work out a collectively bargained contract as required by law. City negotiators and firefighters sometimes cannot negotiate agreements on issues such as workplace conditions, pay, health insurance premiums, or even how many firefighters will respond to fire and EMS calls. When this happens, it’s called impasse. Today, the only path forward is expensive, taxpayer-funded litigation driven by the mayor.
There’s a better way forward — it’s called arbitration. In this system, a neutral, third-party arbitrator can help cost-effectively bring about a solution without litigation. Many other cities — including Austin, San Antonio, Dallas, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago — rely on arbitration to settle disputes with public employees and the city.
Houston should too. Let’s change the Houston city charter to make that happen. Please sign the petition today — and let the voters decide.
Supreme Court Rules Against Farmworkers in Major Blow to Union Organizing
The Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority held on Wednesday that California’s law allowing union organizers to engage workers on the job site violates the Fifth Amendment, which bars the taking of private property for public use “without just compensation.” The court’s 6–3 decision in Cedar Point Nursery v. Hassid is a major blow to union organizing, which often relies on workplace access to safeguard workers’ rights.
Biden Taps SEIU Lawyer Prouty for NLRB Seat
President Joe Biden will nominate David Prouty, a prominent union attorney, for a seat on the National Labor Relations Board, in latest effort to dismantle the anti-union Trump legacy.
US Department of Labor to Support Apprenticeship Programs with $130 Million in Grants
On June 23rd, Secretary Marty Walsh announced that the US Department of Labor will award $130 million in grants to develop, modernize, and diversify Registered Apprenticeship programs.
Teamsters Vote to Take on Amazon Organizing Drive
The International Brotherhood of Teamsters voted today at their international convention to approve a resolution identifying unionizing and building worker power at Amazon is the top priority moving forward.
Teachers Union Negotiations Spark Debate about Shared Governance
In January 2019, the Old Town Teachers Organization (OTTO) voted 141–7 to unionize, becoming the first collection of teaching artists to be recognized by the American Federation of Teachers. As part of their negotiations, the union has pushed for seats on the corporate board, a step that has sparked debate.
In Face of Powerful Union Solidarity, Condé Nast agrees to contract
Following the announcement of a planned strike by staff, the New Yorker Union announced last week that Conde Nast had agreed in principle to their terms.
Get Vaccinated!
Everyone age 12 and older, regardless of occupation or health status, is now eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in Texas, according to state authorities. 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.
Sites in Harris County and across the region no longer required advance registration.
To find more information about vaccination sites, click on the links below (this is not a complete list of all vaccine providers)
- Harris County
- City of Houston
- Galveston County
- Montgomery County
- Fort Bend County
- Waller County
- Brazoria County
- Brazos County
- Chambers County
- Liberty County
- Walker County
- Austin County
- Matagorda County
- Wharton County
Many working people across Harris County continue to struggle as we recover from the COVID recession, as many workers in the hospitality and entertainment industry still haven’t come back to work. Join us on June 30th in Greenspoint to help keep working people in their homes as we continue to build back from the COVID crisis.
