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Trumka: With Working Families Pulling Together, 'There Will Be a Better Day' |
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On a day when all the bars in Texas were shut down under a sadly necessary gubernatorial order, AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka's "State of the Unions" remarks might cheer you up. It wasn't just bars either. It was restaurants, crowds of more than 10, gyms, and schools until at least April 3.
Under these circumstances, which are not unique to Texas, Trumka struck the right mix of criticism of White House failures and larger hope based on workers' pulling together. See the concise, user-friendly snapshot of this crazy moment.
Now THIS from Trumka is presidential: "I promise you this: There will be a better day." |
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Women's Summit Postponed - We Need Your Feedback |
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The spread of the coronavirus has prompted the Texas AFL-CIO to postpone the 2020 Women's Summit on May 1-2, 2020. We want to make sure that everyone is safe and healthy.
We ask that you please choose your dates of preference for the summit by Wednesday, April 1, 2020 at 5 p.m. The Summit will take place at the same location (TCEA Conference Center • 3100 Alvin Devane Blvd., Austin, TX 78741) |
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Fill Out Your 2020 Census. Now! |
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Most likely, you have already received your postcard asking you and your family to be counted in the 2020 U.S. Census. The sooner you respond, the better it will be for your community and for Texas. The Texas AFL-CIO has joined labor organizations from across the U.S. in endorsing a complete count. The stakes are political: With a full count, Texas stands to gain three congressional seats and the fastest-growing communities stand to gain more voting strength in the U.S. House, Texas Legislature and State Board of Education. Even within cities, your neighborhood could have more clout on Commissioners Court, City Council, school boards and other local bodies. The stakes are financial: Federal formula funding is based in part on the official Census numbers. Texas and your community will get a representative share of federal programs if everyone is counted. This affects, roads, hospitals, schools and other essential institutions. The count needs to list every resident of Texas, and it cannot be emphasized enough that individual information is confidential. There is NO question on citizenship, NO request for your Social Security number, in short NO individual information elicited that will be applied to any other program. |
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Sign Up for Our 2020 Census Training Webinar - Get Informed at Home! |
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In response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the Texas AFL-CIO and APALA are indefinitely postponing social gatherings until further notice. However, we remain steadfast in our commitment to making sure that everyone fills out the census, understands why it is essential, and is familiar with the process so that they can help others as well.
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UFCW Asks Abbott to Recognize Food Workers as First Responders in Coronavirus Fight |
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Members of the United Food and Commercial Workers Local 1000 in Texas are asking Gov. Greg Abbott to recognize Texas grocery, retail and food processing workers as First Responders.
Ricky Burris, President of the UFCW local union, cites Minnesota and Vermont, which have already taken the step in recognition of the importance of these jobs as Texans engage in social distancing. The union has 13,000 "front-line, essential members" in Texas, Burris said.
"Our UFCW members in grocery stores, retail establishments, and food processing plants are on the front lines of the coronavirus outbreak working around the clock to keep these businesses open and ensure that families in our communities have the essential food and supplies they need," Burris said in a letter to the governor. "Keeping our communities healthy and safe is our first priority, but our members need strong worker protections like paid leave to continue doing these vital jobs."
"With the designation of these hardworking men and women as first responders, we ask that you use the power of your executive order to mandate that all of these workers receive at least two weeks of paid leave, childcare services, and any other benefits available to essential workers. This will ensure that our members can continue to serve their communities without having to choose between their health and their paycheck."
In the letter, Burris thanks Abbott "for your leadership at this critical time."
As Brother Burris states, the importance of UFCW members in the everyday lives of Texans has never been clearer. The coronavirus has made that point visible to everyone. The asks in the letter make sense for Texas.
Mother Jones magazine discusses the Minnesota and Vermont actions. |
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UNITE HERE: 80 to 90 Percent of Membership Could Be Sidelined |
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Our Brothers and Sisters in UNITE HERE say 80 to 90 percent of its 300,000 members could be sidelined because of the coronavirus.
Huffington Post reports hospitality, airport and casino workers in the union say coronavirus legislation approved by Congress does not go remotely far enough:
The leading labor union for hospitality workers said Wednesday that it expects 80% to 90% of its 300,000 members to be out of work due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The estimates from Unite Here illustrate the staggering economic damage inflicted on the service sector by the pandemic. The union's members, a majority of whom are women, tend to work in hotels, airports and casinos - all businesses that have been hammered by closures and a precipitous drop in demand.
On a call with reporters Wednesday, union officials said employees in the hospitality industry are facing an unprecedented crisis and that members of Congress and the White House need to put workers at the center of any rescue packages.
D. Taylor, the union's president, panned the emergency paid leave bill passed Saturday by the Democratic-controlled House as "completely ridiculous," saying it had huge carve-outs and did not go far enough in helping workers. He also said the plan being floated to cut Americans up to two $1,000 checks would be insufficient, given that each such payment wouldn't cover a month's rent in most cities.
"They've met with the titans of industry and that's great. But we all know what we face right now," Taylor said, referring to members of Congress and the White House. "I'm very worried that the American worker is not at the table, just American industry."
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Levy to Cornyn: 'Do Your Damn Job' |
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In a statement unbecoming his office, U.S. Sen. John Cornyn today decided to blame China for the coronavirus and insert racism into the mix rather than distance himself from the White House and offer any semblance of a solution.
The Hill reports Cornyn claimed, "China is to blame because the culture where people eat bats & snakes & dogs & things like that, these viruses are transmitted from the animal to the people and that's why China has been the source of a lot of these viruses like SARS, like MERS, the Swine Flu." See the tweet here: https://bit.ly/2U0ktYH
Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy immediately responded on Twitter: "@JohnCornyn this racist garbage puts your constituents at risk and does nothing to help families who are worried about getting sick or going broke. Quit playing for the president's approval and do your damn job. @texasAFLCIO @AFLCIO"
Brother Levy has it right. Crisis reveals character. Racist, wrong, buck-passing garbage doesn't belong in the U.S. Senate or any office.
Americans are coming together to fight the coronavirus and navigate its consequences while Sen. Cornyn engages in a scapegoat hunt to cover up his own incompetence while the White House declared COVID-19 to be a 'hoax.'
Cornyn's rant is actually, remarkably, fake news. No one who wants to help Americans through this crisis should stand for it. |
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Houston-Area Labor Movement Agitates for Paid Sick Leave in Largest City Not to Have It |
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Houston Public Media posted a take on Houston's status as the largest U.S. city without an earned paid sick leave requirement. The article quotes Elsa Caballero of SEIU-Texas and Hany Khalil of the Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation on the urgency of the policy in the time of the coronavirus:
Without a federal law requiring paid sick leave, it's up to state and city officials to decide whether to create regulations. Currently 12 states and Washington D.C. have paid sick leave laws, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and Texas isn't one of them.
Since 2018, Austin, San Antonio and Dallas have passed paid sick leave ordinances requiring employers to provide employees with one hour of sick leave for every 30 hours they've worked. The ordinances in Austin and San Antonio haven't been implemented due to legal challenges, but in Dallas the policy goes into effect on April 1...
Now labor unions and worker advocates argue that, with the threat posed by a global pandemic like coronavirus, paid sick leave should be a priority for city officials.
"We believe there is an urgent need for our local elected officials to act now to provide workers, especially contracted city workers, with paid sick leave," said Elsa Caballero, the Houston-based president of SEIU-Texas. "We are in ongoing conversations with our local elected officials to care for Houstonians by ensuring those on the front lines have the ability to take off from work without the fear of retaliation or loss of wages."
Amid community spread of the coronavirus, organizations will be calling on Houston officials to pass an ordinance similar to those in Austin, San Antonio and Dallas, despite the opposition they're facing in courts, according to Hany Khalil, executive director of Texas Gulf Coast AFL-CIO.
"I believe that the politics around this have really changed quickly as a result of a public health threat that COVID-19 represents," Khalil said.
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Song of the Week - "Hard Times" - Ryan Bingham |
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Stay Safe And Healthy. We Can Do This. |
