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Texas Activist Groups Slam SB 7 and HB 6 as 'Voter Suppression' Bills |
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In the 87th Texas Legislature, two bills regarding election integrity have drawn heavy criticism from activist groups across the state – Senate Bill 7 and House Bill 6.
Senate Bill 7
In short, the bill's text states that SB 7 is "an act relating to elections, including election integrity and security; creating a criminal offense; providing civil penalties."
House Bill 6
In short, the bill's text states that HB 6 is "an act relating to election integrity and preservation of the purity of the ballot box through the prevention of fraud in the conduct of an election; increasing criminal penalties; creating criminal offenses."
The Texas AFL-CIO has spoken out against the bills. President Rick Levy and Secretary-Treasurer Leonard Aguilar released a statement saying in part:
“On a false pretext, bills like SB 7 and HB 6 aim a cannon at a flea, with all the accompanying damage to the surroundings. Voter fraud in Texas is practically non-existent, except as a smokescreen hiding harm to eligible voters, threats of prosecution of pro-democracy voter turnout programs and a license for the attorney general to intimidate voters by threatening criminal charges.” |
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Paxton Won’t Release His Communications at Rally That Preceded Insurrection at U.S. Capitol |
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Several news organizations are trying to obtain messages he sent and received while participating with ex-President Donald Trump in an atrocious effort to overturn the results of the presidential election.
That should be a routine request under the Texas Public Information Act, but Paxton’s office is refusing to deliver the material.
Paxton spoke at the rally that preceded the infamous U.S. Capitol invasion on Jan. 6.
The coalition of news organizations seeking this information is extraordinary. Here is the Dallas Morning News account:
After Paxton’s office refused to release copies of his emails and text messages, The Dallas Morning News, the Austin American-Statesman, the Houston Chronicle, the San Antonio Express-News, ProPublica and the Texas Tribune are working together in an effort to obtain the documents and review Paxton’s open-records practices.
The news outlets discovered that Paxton’s office, which is supposed to enforce the state’s open records laws, has no policy governing the release of work-related messages stored on Paxton’s personal devices. It is unclear whether the office reviews Paxton’s email accounts and phones to look for requested records, or whether the attorney general himself determines what to turn over without any outside checks.
Paxton is now facing some of the most intense public scrutiny of his career. The Republican attorney general is reportedly under federal investigation for allegedly abusing his office to help a campaign donor. He also led a failed attempt to overturn the presidential election, joining with other GOP attorneys general in a lawsuit seeking to invalidate swing state victories by Democrat Joe Biden.
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Texas Republicans Take Aim at Local Worker Protections With Major Deregulation Bill |
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Texas Republicans in the Senate Committee on Business & Commerce were giddy with excitement Tuesday afternoon over Senate Bill 14, a massive deregulation bill that would prohibit local governments from passing or enforcing laws that create basic protections for workers.
The legislation is a response to local ordinances passed by Austin, Dallas, and San Antonio that guarantee paid sick leave for workers of private employers. But the two-page bill is short enough and written broadly enough to ensnare many more basic worker protection laws that have passed or are being considered in cities and counties. Texas AFL-CIO Legislative Director René Lara shared testimony to the Senate business committee:
“It has a very ambitious aim. It aims to capture any and all employment policies, not just the ones that I mentioned, but any future employment policies that might benefit workers.”
Lara said the bill threatened civil service, meet and confer agreements and collecting bargaining contracts currently under the law.
“We just feel that this is the wrong time to do something like this, we’ve gone through a pandemic, a winter storm, workers have really suffered, and to tell them that they can’t look to their local government for a few labor improvements is just the wrong message to send at this time by this legislature." |
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Younger Essential Workers Finally Get Their Turn to Sign Up for COVID-19 Vaccines |
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News that Texas will open eligibility for COVID-19 vaccination sign-ups to all adults starting next Monday makes us optimistic.
The expansion at long last takes into account young essential workers who have placed themselves at risk during the pandemic to serve customers and the public. Supermarket workers, bus drivers, airport workers, retail workers, maintenance workers, construction workers and other essential categories have been the glue that kept our economy going in the pandemic. The Texas AFL-CIO had called for all essential workers to have some vaccine priority. At least now younger essential workers can get in line with a real opportunity to get the vaccines before long.
Take note: President Joe Biden promised 100 million vaccine doses in 100 days. That goal was reached in 58 days, and the acceleration of vaccine production and distribution is what has made the rapidly expanding Texas eligibility guidelines possible.
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UFCW President: Families of Boulder Supermarket Shooting Victims Deserve Answers and Workers Need Assurances of Safety on the Job |
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The awful mass shooting at a unionized supermarket in Boulder, Colorado — again, like a broken record, by a lone gunman with an assault rifle — prompted United Food and Commercial Workers President Marc Perrone to call for immediate state and federal investigations with an eye toward protecting essential workers.
The Texas AFL-CIO joins a grieving UFCW in mourning the carnage at the King Soopers store, where 10 people died and a suspect was taken into custody. UFCW represents 22,000 workers in Colorado.
Brother Perrone’s statement:
“As the union for the brave Colorado grocery workers caught in the crossfire of this tragic shooting, UFCW is heartbroken and our prayers are with our members, their families, and the loved ones of all the victims. We are deeply thankful to the grocery workers, customers, and first responders whose courageous actions helped to prevent even more lives from being lost.
“Every day of this pandemic, grocery workers have been bravely putting their health at risk on the frontlines of COVID-19 to keep our families fed. This shooting is a tragic reminder that the pandemic is not the only threat our communities face.
“Protecting essential workers and the families they serve must be the first priority of corporate and elected leaders. UFCW is calling for an immediate investigation into this shooting, urging Governor Polis and Colorado leaders to work with law enforcement at the federal, state, and local level to determine how this happened. The victims and their families deserve answers and need to know that our leaders are doing all they can to prevent future tragedies like this from endangering even more of our country’s brave essential workers.”
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Firefighters in Cypress Creek Organize New Local Union |
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The AFL-CIO passes along word of a new Fire Fighters local union in Cypress Creek:
The Fire Fighters (IAFF) welcomed one of its newest affiliates, Local 5322 in Cypress Creek, Texas. Cypress Creek Fire Department is the operating name for Harris County Emergency Services District 13, just outside Houston. In recent years, the department has been adding more full-time firefighters to accommodate the increasing need for emergency services.
“As our department continues to evolve, it seemed like the right time to organize,” said Local 5322 President David Gatlin. “Several of us had been members of other IAFF locals and knew the benefits of joining the union. We are particularly looking forward to utilizing the IAFF’s amazing training opportunities.”
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American Rescue Plan Delivers a Victory for Unemployed Texas Workers |
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Texas workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own have scored a victory, thanks to the American Rescue Plan.
Texas AFL-CIO Legislative Director René Lara reports the Texas Workforce Commission is notifying Unemployment Insurance claimants that the recently enacted federal law includes provisions to retain their eligibility and even pay for health coverage.
The state labor federation worked with Sen. Beverly Powell, D-Burleson, and with our allies at Every Texan to make this happen, Lara states.
As the Workforce Commission is telling current applicants and recipients, the American Rescue Plan provides help in three ways:
More than 4 million Unemployment Insurance claims have been filed in Texas since the start of the pandemic. Besides health care, the ARP also helps workers who are eligible by extending federal benefits of $300 per week through Sept. 30. |
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Marty Walsh Confirmed as Labor Secretary |
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The labor movement celebrated the Senate confirmation of Marty Walsh as U.S. Labor Secretary.
The vote was 68-29, with U.S. Sen. John Cornyn voting “Yea” and U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz voting “Nay.”
AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka takes note of the extraordinary change from the last holder of the office, a “ruthless corporate lawyer”:
Congratulations to Secretary Walsh. It’s difficult to overstate the importance of this moment. For four years, working families have lived with a Labor Department devoted to serving a handful of elite interests. Now, the power to enforce safety and equity in our workplaces has been handed from a ruthless corporate lawyer to a proud union brother.
Working people organized, mobilized and voted to deliver that victory. But we aren’t finished yet. It’s time to build a truly just recovery that hands power back to the workers who have borne the brunt of this crisis.
That means delivering unprecedented funding to create a 21st-century infrastructure alongside a new generation of good-paying union jobs. It means raising the minimum wage to $15 per hour. And most of all, it means strengthening working people’s right to organize together by finally passing the PRO Act. Our work has only just begun, and we will be stronger with Secretary Walsh in the fight ahead. |
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Job Opening: Labor Seeks Texas Climate Jobs and Renewable Energy Project Director |
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An initiative of the Texas AFL-CIO revolving around climate change and good jobs is looking for a director.
This is an exciting position on the ground floor of a cutting-edge arena for the Texas labor movement:
The Texas Climate Jobs and Renewable Energy Project seeks a dynamic and passionate Project Director who will seize this opportunity to build out and develop a groundbreaking, labor led climate initiative based on the needs and experiences of Texas workers and Texas communities. |
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Go Fund Me Appeal to Help Mike Cunningham |
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As you’ll recall, Mike Cunningham, formerly the Executive Director/Secretary-Treasurer of the Texas Building & Construction Trades Council, was in a terrible head-on collision that killed his wife and left him with a wide range of major injuries.
It was a miracle Mike survived. As he did throughout a 40-plus year advocacy in the labor movement, Mike is paying attention to all the details, this time with regard to rehab. The bills that are not covered by Medicare are mounting quickly.
Texas AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Leonard Aguilar personally posted a Go Fund Me campaign to help Brother Cunningham in this toughest of times. If you are in a position to contribute, please do. |
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Song of the Week - "Triangle Shirtwaist Fire" - Mike Stout |
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Have a great weekend...After all, we fought for it. |
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