Texas AFL-CIO

The Texas AFL-CIO HQ is closed indefinitely. The state federation will continue operations with officers and staff working remotely.

THE VOICE OF LABOR IN TEXAS

We are teachers, firefighters and farm workers, actors and engineers, pilots and public employees, painters and plumbers, steelworkers and screenwriters, doctors and nurses, stagehands, electricians and more. We believe that people who work make Texas work and that together, we are better.

 

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Featured Stories

Texas Workers Need Enforceable Standards; Anything Less Is a Charade

Gov. Greg Abbott should revise Texas's ill-considered, inconsistent, and largely unenforceable rules for reopening the economy.

Texas AFL-CIO COPE Board Makes Dual Endorsement Of Hegar, West in U.S. Senate Race

The political arm of the Texas AFL-CIO today delivered a dual endorsement of M.J. Hegar and Royce West in the U.S. Senate race.

Texas AFL-CIO Endorses ‘Common-Sense’ Way To Expedite Unemployment Benefits

Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy commended U.S. Rep. Lloyd Doggett, D-Austin, and the other 12 Democratic members of the Texas congressional delegation for proposing a temporary boost for unemployed Texans.

Texas AFL-CIO: Working Families Need Clear Protections

Gov. Greg Abbott’s plan to start reopening Texas businesses lacks critical elements that would protect Texans who are required to return to their work premises, Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy said today.

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Support the HEROES Act

Working people are desperate for our leaders to put partisanship aside and do what is right for our health, our economy and our country. Tell your Senator to support the HEROES Act (H.R. 6800) and provide the relief working families need.

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What We Care About

Workplace Rights

We are at a moment when a fighting union organization could kindle the imagination of millions of workers and inspire a new labor movement.

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Support Working People’s Freedom!

Working people must come together to defend our rights and fight for a fair economy that works for everyone.

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Better Pay and Benefits

There is something fundamentally wrong with our economy. The rich keep getting richer while working people are working longer hours just to make ends meet. Despite year after year of increased productivity, we are not sharing in the fruits of our labor.
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Sign the Petition: Raise the Wage in Texas

The state minimum wage of $7.25 an hour condemns hundreds of thousands of working people to poverty, costs taxpayers and shuts out business customers. It is high time for Texas to join 29 other states in raising the minimum wage above a federal level that has become a victim of congressional gridlock after decades of bipartisan support for a decent wage floor.

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Trade/Manufacturing

A strong manufacturing sector is essential to our nation’s economic success and to our ability to raise wages and provide family-supporting jobs. But decades of devastating trade policy and attacks on unions have taken their toll.

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NAFTA Needs to Work for Working People

Renegotiations of the failed North American Free Trade Agreement are underway and the recently released objectives are vague and unambitious. Sign the petition calling for a new NAFTA that prioritizes working people.

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Immigration

Since our nation’s founding, immigrants and refugees have enriched the fabric of our communities, our workforce and our labor movement.

Member Spotlight

Areli Zarate • Texas AFT 2048

Our union has kept me going. It has given me hope.

Paul Arebalo • IATSE 205

Being in a union means I have a voice. Whether it's regarding safety, pay or even work practices, my voice will be heard and that's one of the greatest rights I can think of.

Francisco Luna • Ironworkers Local 263

"I proudly construct buildings in DFW. My union helped me better my immigration status and apply for U.S. Citizenship."

Cheryl Eliano • AFGE District 10

The labor movement means solidarity.

Savanna Marvets • UA Plumbers & Pipefitters Local 286

I believe plumbing and pipefitting experience gained through my local union allows me to make a living wage.

Jennifer Hernandez - IUPAT

The labor movement is gaining momentum daily with each worker who realizes the power of collective strength.

Workers First Caravan

Join the June 3rd Day of Action.

Read the Report

Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, 2019

PowerTools

A resource for union members and organizers.

Defend and Resist

A toolkit for organizers and advocates on workplace raids and audits.

Recent News

Texas Should Clear Way for Front-Line Workers Who Contract COVID-19 to Get Workers’ Compensation

The Texas AFL-CIO today called for Texas to presume that front-line working people who contract COVID-19 should receive Workers' Compensation benefits.

When employers carry Workers' Compensation insurance in Texas, benefits are available if an employee injury or death occurs on the job, but not away from the job. Texas law already presumes that First Responders who contract a respiratory illness did so on the job. That legal presumption leads to benefits unless evidence arises that another off-the-job factor caused the illness.

Abbott Orders Raise More Questions Than Answers

Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy statement on Gov. Greg Abbott’s Executive Orders today on plans to reopen Texas during the coronavirus pandemic:

“Today’s announcement by Gov. Greg Abbott answered next to none of the pressing questions working people have about how a reopening of the state will protect them and how Texas will help preserve their livelihoods as the coronavirus moves through our population.”

Texas AFL-CIO: To Protect Communities From Coronavirus, Protect Working People

As the coronavirus threatens Texans, the Texas AFL-CIO today called on political and business leaders to take actions suggested by front-line union workers who face elevated risk of becoming ill.

"Texans looking to steer clear of the coronavirus and safeguard their families know that protecting working people protects communities," Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy, joined by representatives of several unions, said at a news conference.

We Are Proud to Endorse Joe Biden for President

The path to the presidency runs through the labor movement. And with the full force and unmatched reach of our political program, we are ready to pave that road for our friend Joe Biden.

Watch AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka's video message following the federation's endorsement of Joe Biden for President of the United States.

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