Labor News — 3/9/2023
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State takeovers of school districts do not work. But there is something else that might
Via the Rice University Kinder Institute for Urban Research
Researchers at Brown University have tracked all state takeovers across the nation since 1988, when the very first takeovers occurred, and they find no evidence that they lead to academic improvements.
Instead, they find evidence of lower test scores immediately after the takeover, followed by a period of about five years before returning to pre-takeover levels.
In addition, they find that takeovers are significantly more likely to occur in districts with higher concentrations of low-income learners and students of color; districts that have a larger charter school sector; and districts in states with a Republican governor as well as states with the same party controlling the executive branch and both chambers of the legislature. In particular, researchers find that districts serving larger concentrations of Black students are more likely to experience a takeover — regardless of academic performance.
More news from Texas and the Gulf Coast
- I-45 project to resume after 2-year pause, as TxDOT, federal officials agree on $9.7B rebuild
- Army Corps hiring hundreds to launch Coastal Spine project
- New Harris County flood maps will be first in US to show more accurate risks for homes, businesses
- Advocates say Houston is underrepresented on regional council. They have a petition to change that.
Union leaders speak out as state takeover of Houston ISD looms
Via Community Impact
A long-running legal battle between Houston ISD and the state of Texas could be headed toward state intervention in its largest public school district following a ruling by the Texas Supreme Court.
The court issued an opinion Jan. 13 in a case related to whether Texas Education Agency Commissioner Mike Morath has the authority to appoint a board of managers for HISD under the Texas Education Code. Writing for the court, Justice Jane Bland vacated an injunction that previously was blocking a state takeover, sending the case back to the trial court to be reheard.
Research released in May 2021 by Brown University analyzed 35 district takeovers across the U.S. between 2011–16. Researchers said they found no evidence takeovers improve academic performance in the first three years, and improvements from three to six years out were too small to draw any specific conclusions about whether the takeover was effective.
Speakers at two rallies opposing the takeover pointed out that past school board takeover efforts in the Houston area have targeted school districts that served Black and Hispanic communities. The nationwide study conducted by Brown also found that students of color were overrepresented in the context of state takeovers.
The day of the Supreme Court decision, Traci Latson, a 26-year teacher with HISD and a member of the Houston Federation of Teachers, said she fielded calls throughout the day from her concerned colleagues. In addition to questions about what it could mean for their students, teachers also asked if they should think about applying for jobs at other districts, she said.
“HISD worked so hard last year to become one of the most competitive districts in the region; we still started the school year with over 800 [teacher] vacancies,” Latson said. “The TEA takeover will destabilize and hinder HISD’s ability to maintain and employ highly certified teachers.”
More news from Gulf Coast unions
- Union members and allies complete first-ever TGCALF Labor Candidate School
- TWU Local 556 Flight Attendants hold informational picket to demand changes at Southwest
- U.S. leaders take tour of Houston Metro’s Kashmere Bus Operations Facility
- Houston building trades union members petition Bureau of Ocean Energy Management calling for workforce protections on Gulf wind projects
Kroger workers allege massive wage theft: “I’m tired of having to beg”
Via Popular Information
In 2022, Kroger, the largest supermarket chain in the country, launched “MyTime” — a new payroll system that Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen claimed would “simplify day-to-day work.” Kroger touted MyTime as a testament to how much the grocery store chain cares about its associates. But since its roll-out, MyTime has been a nightmare for thousands of Kroger employees across the country. Glitches with MyTime have resulted in a host of problems, including missing pay and incomplete checks.
The fallout has been especially brutal for workers who live paycheck to paycheck. Multiple Kroger associates told Popular Information that they’ve missed rent payments and bills, overdrawn their bank accounts, or been forced to take out loans due to missing or reduced pay. Kroger’s slow response to resolving the issues with MyTime has only exacerbated the crisis. “I’m tired of having to beg for pay that’s due to me,” one Kroger employee told Popular Information. All the workers who spoke to Popular Information did so on the condition of anonymity due to concerns that speaking out would impact their current or future employment.
On January 19, a group of Kroger associates from Virginia and West Virginia filed a lawsuit against the grocery store arguing that “their employer has engaged in a widespread wage theft resulting from repeated and ongoing problems with payroll.”
More union news
- Scabby the Rat is an American labor icon. Why are his manufacturers disowning him?
- Starbucks fired a union organizer. New York City got him rehired
- In Rare Conviction, Contractor Is Held Liable in Construction Death
- Unions Safeguard Workers’ Sweat Equity
- You’re Now a ‘Manager.’ Forget About Overtime Pay.
- Lacking Collective Bargaining Rights, but Organizing Anyway
- Guilt-Free Indulgence: Girl Scout Cookies Are Union-Made
- Labor board decision could force Google to negotiate with YouTube contractors
How the Texas GOP Became the Party of Big Government
Via Texas Monthly:
Under Governor Greg Abbott and a Republican-dominated Legislature, Texas has experienced an unprecedented expansion of state power over municipalities.
Over the past eight years, the GOP-dominated Legislature has passed so-called “preemption” bills that forbid cities from enacting tree preservation ordinances, installing red-light cameras, or regulating rideshare companies. It has restricted the ability of cities to annex adjacent areas, cut law enforcement budgets, or increase property taxes.
Perhaps most alarming to advocates of local control is the sweeping House Bill 2127, filed by Republican representative Dustin Burrows, of Lubbock, which would grant the state exclusive authority over any activities covered by Texas’s agriculture, finance, insurance, natural resources, and occupations codes. (A companion measure, Senate Bill 814, was filed by Republican senator Brandon Creighton, of Conroe.)
If the legislation passes, Texas cities and counties may no longer be able to adopt ordinances related to door-to-door sales, employment discrimination, music-festival safety, predatory lending practices, overgrown lots, or uncontrolled burns, among many other issues. Bennett Sandlin, the executive director of the Texas Municipal League, a nonprofit that advocates for cities and counties, described HB 2127 as a “super-preemption bill” and said: “When you take an entire code and just say cities can’t operate in this sphere, that seems risky to me.”
More news from the 2023 Texas legislative Session
- Texas Education Agency’s Sudden Change in Rating Schools and Retroactive Application Have Look of Private School Voucher Campaign
- Gov. Greg Abbott vows to exclude renewable energy from any revived economic incentive program
- Texas senators, facing criticism, soften proposed ban on Chinese purchases of land
Joe Biden: My Plan to Extend Medicare for Another Generation
Via New York Times Opinion
Millions of Americans work their whole lives, paying into Medicare with every working day — starting with their first jobs, even as teenagers. Medicare is more than a government program. It’s the rock-solid guarantee that Americans have counted on to be there for them when they retire.
For decades, I’ve listened to my Republican friends claim that the only way to be serious about preserving Medicare is to cut benefits, including by making it a voucher program worth less and less every year. Some have threatened our economy unless I agree to benefit cuts.
Only in Washington can people claim that they are saving something by destroying it.
The budget I am releasing this week will make the Medicare trust fund solvent beyond 2050 without cutting a penny in benefits. In fact, we can get better value, making sure Americans receive better care for the money they pay into Medicare.
More federal legislation and agency news
- Democrats Propose Tax Reforms To Boost Union Membership, Discourage Union-Busting
- NTSB to Probe Norfolk Southern Safety Culture After Derailments, Accidents
- Made in the USA? Proposed rule clarifies grocery meat labels
- JetBlue, Spirit deal faces ‘high likelihood’ of Department of Justice lawsuit
- The Shocking, Sickening Reality of Child Labor in America
- America’s mind-blowing labor market
- How D.C. Swamp Money Made Trains More Dangerous
- Biden’s clean energy factory jobs may elude U.S. union workers
Governor Greg Abbott and his handpicked Texas Education Agency commissioner Mike Morath have been trying to take over Houston ISD for years. This effort by the GOP to take over the largest school district in the state is a threat to our schools, our kids, and our very democracy.
It’s a fight you can help us win for our children’s future.
State takeovers almost exclusively target districts with high percentages of Black, Brown and low-income students. All around the country state takeovers have failed miserably. They have left school districts and schoolchildren worse off than they were before.
Write a letter to TEA Commissioner Mike Morath TODAY and tell him to keep his hands off HISD!
Read more about the state takeover here.
SEND A LETTER TODAY!
More upcoming actions and events
- March 16th: The PUMP for Nursing Mothers Act: What Advocates and Employers Need to Know (offered by the Wage and Hour Division of the Department of Labor)
- April 12th: Texas State Employees Union plans Lobby Day on April 12th, asks allies to join in solidarity with state workers (click to sign up)
