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Here is your weekly news from the Texas Labor Movement. 

Harris County Judge Announces 'Work Safe' Rules; Labor, Allies Celebrate

The Gulf Coast Area Labor Federation passes along a coalition's thanks to Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo for announcing "work safe" rules for front-line workers in the state's most populous county.

Hidalgo has set a high standard for doing right by working families during the pandemic:

After weeks of advocacy, labor and community organizations celebrated Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo's announcement of new work safe rules for grocery and construction as the right way to reopen and a big win for workers.

Throughout the COVID-19 crisis, frontline workers have often faced an impossible choice: go to work and risk their health or stay at home and lose needed income. Until now, construction and grocery workers in Harris County have had little to no protections against the transmission of this highly contagious virus.

Appeals Court Puts Mail-In Voting on Hold, Yet Again

In a virtual hearing on Wednesday, the Texas Supreme Court considered a request from Attorney General Ken Paxton to order election officials in Travis County to reject applications for absentee ballots submitted by voters who fear voting in person because of the coronavirus.

In a petition filed with the court earlier this month, Paxton said Travis County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir and election officials in Harris, Dallas, El Paso and Cameron counties are improperly encouraging voters to request mail-in ballots.

Paxton highlighted examples of officials from each county stating that they would grant requests for absentee ballots under these circumstances.

The county officials have rejected his characterization and said they are following recent court decisions and state law, which allows people with a disability to apply to vote by mail instead of going to the polls in person.

But attorneys for the state said susceptibility to the coronavirus does not constitute a disability under state law and if a voter indicates that they are requesting an absentee ballot for this reason on their application, their request should be rejected.

Letter Carriers Launch ‘Heroes Delivering’ Campaign

The workers of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) are needed now more than ever, keeping us connected and delivering lifesaving supplies during the pandemic. The National Association of Letter Carriers (NALC) has launched the “Heroes Delivering” campaign to raise awareness of the critical work being done by USPS and its employees, and to urge Congress to provide temporary financial relief to USPS, which has seen a sharp decline in letter mail volume from the coronavirus-related economic shutdown. Visit HeroesDelivering.com for more information.

Teamsters Talk Meatpacking on 'Labor Live at 5'; Need for Paychecks v. Fear

Meatpacking around Amarillo was the subject of the Texas AFL-CIO's "Labor Live at 5." The guests, right at the epicenter, were Teamsters Local 577 President Brian Ahearn and Recording Secretary and Assistant Business Agent Jose Mireles.

Discussion was scintillating, displaying the balance between families needing paychecks and fear of COVID-19. What's clear: The union gives the workers at the plant a voice on safety.

 See the discussion with Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy:

Rio Grande Valley Central Labor Council Donates $3,000 to Region's Food Bank

Central Labor Councils in Texas are helping working families who have lost jobs or are otherwise having difficulty navigating the coronavirus pandemic. One important program: help for local Food Banks.

Rio Grande Valley CLC President Zaragoza "Eddie" Salinas reports the CLC presented a $3,000 check to the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley. The Texas AFL-CIO and Texas AFT matched the CLC's contribution to arrive at the donation. 

Food Banks have plowed through their reserve food supplies to help record numbers of Texans suffering financially in the pandemic. Donations allow the Food Banks to purchase more food in bulk, with every dollar putting meals on tables.

"We are very appreciative that we have a job and we are doing well," Salinas said. "We are just very happy we can help needy people in the Rio Grande Valley." 

Salinas said the Food Bank serves families across the Valley, from Brownsville to Rio Grande City.

Wildcat Strikes Accumulate Over Absence of Safety Precautions in Workplaces

Some working people, fed up with lack of protections at their workplaces, are walking off the job to insist on better standards.

Central to the wildcat strikes is an absence of mandates and, in many cases, the inability of non-union employees to get management's attention through other means. On the enforcement piece, the AFL-CIO has sued the Occupational Safety and Health Administration to try to force the agency to come up with federal emergency infectious disease rules. Texas has nothing to fill the enforcement vacuum.

Another problem covered is plummeting markets. For example, an El Paso truck driver reports his per-mile freight rates have dropped below the IRS calculation of what it costs to drive a vehicle:

Roberto Echiveste, a truck driver in El Paso, Texas, for 10 years, was one of hundreds of drivers who joined in a protest convoy through El Paso on Friday 1 May. During the pandemic, Echiveste and other drivers have seen their freight rates drop from $2-$2.50 per mile to as low as $0.50 per mile.

"I'm losing money just to work. The last week I worked I paid $200 out of my own pocket just to get home," said Echiveste. "I have to pay to work and truck brokers are keeping most of the cut. We have to pay on average $500 each time we fuel, insurance is around $1,000 per month, and parts for my truck are three to four times more expensive than a regular car part, and some drivers are still paying for the truck and trailer. On that alone, I pay over $2,300 per month."

Echiveste said the protest was coordinated on Facebook, and he joined it with his brother, father and neighbor who are all truck drivers.

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