Even though the pandemic is disrupting almost everything else, the Dallas AFL-CIO has never missed a meeting! Our April 16 Central Labor Council will begin at 7:30PM as always. The only difference is that we will be on line.
Agenda items will include these:
- Trustees Election.
- Dallas Evictions.
- COVID-19 Updates
- Report from National AFL-CIO
Participation will be screened to make sure that only affiliated union members and invited guests are with us.
The labor movement is leading the fight for working families during the pandemic crisis. National AFL-CIO wants every local union to appoint a COVID-19 contact representative to report the local membership’s current state. We will begin gathering those contact representative’s names Thursday night.
National is also publishing an updated list of resources for every worker being impacted by the crisis. Sister Kara Sheehan keeps our local list of resources.
The Council met on line last month. Delegates with up-to-date computer equipment were able to see and hear one another, but the ones who just dialed the telephone number were never left out. We had good attendance at both the Executive Board and general meeting. We conducted all our usual business, enjoyed meeting with each other, and continued to be the progressive center of Dallas County. In addition, none of us had trouble with traffic on the way home!
Covid-19 Strikes a Member!
Transport Workers Local 513 reports the death of Sister Valerie Brown from the virus. We join in grieving with her husband Gerald, who is a retiree from Local 513 and her young son. Valerie had worked at American Airlines as a fleet service/baggage handler since April 24, 1983.
Heroes Recognized
The cover of Time Magazine features our brothers and sisters from Alliance/AFT who normally do cafeteria work for the Dallas Independent School System. Along with other school employees, they have been making sure that school children have food to eat through this crisis.
Brother George Rangel provided this link.
National AFL-CIO wants to help publicize the many outstanding accomplishments of individuals and groups who make up our labor movement. Send your stories to genelantz19@gmail.com
Looking for an Easter Service?
The Dallas Area Christian Progressive Alliance (DACPA) Has posted its annual Good Friday March on their social media sites. . Every year, the group compares religious ideals with what is really going on in the world today. Top theologians and social justice activists make presentations on the topics of the day. There are no abstract scriptures and emotional appeals. They seriously try to answer the question, “What Would Jesus Do?”
Fight for Paid Sick Leave
Dallas AFL-CIO continues to gather petitions to the Texas Attorney General and Governor. We want them to withdraw from legal action to enjoin our City Ordinance. The petition is on-line.
Organizing Is Critical
Digital organizing is no longer a sideline for America’s labor movement. It’s the main concentration! Your Dallas AFL-CIO has added several new tools:
On-line meetings: Our committed experimented with three different meeting platforms and decided, like most of the labor movement, that ZOOM is the easiest to use. We had borrowed the account of the Texas AFL-CIO, but National AFL-CIO is now providing us with the service. We continue to offer to help any affiliated union of committee that wants to continue meeting during the panedmeic
Podcasting: KNON radio has been podcasting our regular Saturday ‘Workers Beat” labor program for some time. We have broadened out to podcasting. The first two efforts are already posted. People with smart phones can punch the "podcast" icon, then search for "KNON." Individual union leaders who want to get their message out on audio should contact genelantz19@gmail.com
Texting Service: For some years, we have “made do” with a texting service designed for teachers and students. But National AFL-CIO has now provided us with a professional platform with amazing capabilities. We began by asking people to text the word “action” to 235246 to build up a general database of people who want to know when labor holds events. But we can also build lists for each labor affiliate separately so that their members can be quickly informed when their union needs them.
TEXT ‘ACTION’ TO 235246
If we are organized, we are stronger against the health crisis, the economic crisis, and the political crisis. There can be little doubt that every crisis will get worse! Your labor movement is doubling down on every information/organizing platform we can find, but none of them is as fast or as versatile as texting.
TEXT ‘ACTION’ TO 235246
To become fully involved in labor’s digital organizing program:
- * Fill out the on-line form
- * “Like” our Facebook Page
- * “Follow” our twitter feed
- * “Follow” our Instagram account
- * Help us get “earned” publicity in corporate news services
We send out information and ask for your responses on every platform, but texting can be the most powerful. We will use the texting service very sparingly unless there is an immediate emergency for working families. Simply use the telephone number 235246 to send one word, “action,” to join the organized movement.