Gulf Coast AFL-CIO welcomes Walsh, Su during Department of Labor tour of Houston
The Gulf Coast AFL-CIO was proud to welcome Labor Secretary Marty Walsh and Deputy Secretary Julie Su to Houston this week to gather with the local labor movement and learn about the exciting organizing happening in the Texas Gulf Coast.
The day started off the tour, which will be his last as Labor Secretary, with a gathering at the Teamsters Local 988 hall to discuss the challenges of organizing low wage workers and need for labor law reform. Walsh and Su were joined by Teamsters General President Sean O’Brien, Harris County Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones, White House Senior Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi, and over 100 members from local unions at the event.
“It’s time to help lift people out of poverty. And there’s only one game in town when it comes to lifting people out of poverty — that’s organized labor”
Secretary Walsh emphasized the many ways the Biden Administration is proving its bona fides as the “most pro-union administration in American history,” including major investments in Texas workers:
- The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law will deliver $30 billion in infrastructure dollars to Texas that incorporate high labor standards
- The Chips and Science Act is bringing manufacturing back to US — the are 200,000 more manufacturing jobs today than during the last administration
- The Inflation Reduction Act is designed to make sure the energy transition works for workers, with $66 billion in clean energy investment in Texas
- Launched the Good Jobs Initative to improve job quality and create access to good jobs free from discrimination and harassment
He also discussed the need to continue investment in union apprenticeships, the “gold standard” for workforce development, and expand union programs into new industries.
Harris County, which was represented at the event by Commissioners Adrian Garcia and Lesley Briones, recently approved a historic $9.1 million investment in union apprenticeships with federal dollars received through President Biden’s American Rescue Plan Act.
During the morning event, President Biden announced his nomination of Deputy Secretary to succeed Walsh as the next Labor Secretary.
We’re excited that Deputy Secretary Su chose to spend the day of her nomination with us here in Houston, and we’re excited to continue to partner with her and the Department of Labor to fight to protect the rights of all workers on Gulf Coast jobsites, expand organizing efforts, and build real pathways to the middle class for all of our neighbors.”
In the afternoon, Walsh and Su joined leaders from TWU Local 260 and METRO for a tour of the training facility that will house a new mechanic apprenticeship.
The joint labor-management apprenticeship, which is also being funded by Harris County, will train mechanics to work on the new electrified bus fleet that will soon be deployed across the Houston region.
“During the energy transition, we have a chance to build a better community for ourselves. To expand opportunities to everyone in Harris County, and make sure that underserved communities have access to good, safe jobs,” said Horace Marves, President of TWU Local 260.
Following the tour, Secretary Walsh, Deputy Secretary Su, and Climate Advisor Ali Zaidi met with Gulf Coast union involved in the Texas Climate Jobs Project to discuss the need to put workers first in the energy transition, and discuss the many ways the Department of Labor can support efforts on the ground.
The US Department of Labor has agency staff based in Houston tasked with enforcing workforce standards on jobsites and expanding opportunities to access good jobs across the region.
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration — responsible for ensuring employers follow the law to keep workers safe on the job
- Wage and Hour Division — responsible for combatting wage theft through misclassification and other exploitative practices and ensuring workers get paid what they’re owed
- Employment and Training Administration — oversees workforce development standards, including apprenticeships
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The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation (TGCALF), AFL-CIO unites the power of 92 unions with over 60,000 members living in 13 counties to advocate for working families in the Texas Gulf Coast. We mobilize our members and community partners to demand a fair shot at better lives for all working people — regardless of the color of our skin, which country we come from, or whom we love. Learn more: www.gcaflcio.org/
