Harris County Unions Celebrate Unanimous Passage of Work Safe Policy
The 95 unions of the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, AFL-CIO today celebrated the unanimous passage of a new Harris County policy that will help keep workers safe on construction sites.
Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation Organizing Director Linda Morales said, “Today is a good day for construction workers in Harris County. And it’s only possible because we elected leaders on the court who understand the needs of working people, a majority that is taking real steps to end the safety crisis on Harris County construction sites and put the interests of workers first.”
The new policy builds on a set of worker protection policies passed in 2019 by Commissioners Court that applied to funds spent with certain monies and to specific departments. Among those was a requirement that workers on all County construction jobsites receive OSHA 10 safety training and that supervisors receive OSHA 30 training. The new policy extends those requirements to include all county projects, and incorporates penalties for contractors with a history of safety violations.
Advocacy for the work safe policy was spearheaded by County Attorney Christian Menefee and Commissioner Rodney Ellis in collaboration with the Build Houston Better coalition, which formed in the wake of Hurricane Harvey to end the crisis of worker exploitation and deadly conditions on construction sites across Houston and Harris County. The coalition partners include the Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation, the Houston Gulf Coast Building and Construction Trades Council, the Laborers International Union of North America, Operative Plasterers, and Cement Masons’ International Association and the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades Trades, New Economy for Working Houston, & Workers Defense Project.
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The Texas Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation (TGCALF), AFL-CIO unites the power of 95 unions across 13 counties to advocate for working families in the Texas Gulf Coast, including over 50,000 workers in Harris County. 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/
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