In the wake of final Texas House approval of its version of SB 4, the so-called “sanctuary cities” bill, Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick issued this statement:
Approval of a harsh, “show me your papers”-style bill that drafts local criminal justice officials into becoming an arm of the federal immigration system marks one of the saddest days I have ever spent around the Texas Legislature.
Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick today strongly criticized a sneak attack on public pensions after Republicans prevailed in a 20-10 vote in the Texas Senate to confirm Josh McGee to chair the State Pension Review Board.
“Working people opposed Josh McGee’s nomination because he has a classic conflict of interest, and is actually paid to travel the country and seek to convert strong, stable pensions into riskier defined contribution plans,” Patrick said.
Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick wrote this response to a recent column by Attorney General Ken Paxton in the Dallas Morning News in which the AG advocated for SB 13, which would take away the freedom of state and local employees in Texas to support the labor organizations of their choice through payroll dues deduction
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and the Texas Senate today demonstrated they “have no sense of irony or shame” after endorsing a double standard requiring minors to obtain parental consent to join a labor union in Texas, Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick said.
SB 75 by Sen. Jane Nelson, R-Flower Mound, won tentative approval today on a 20-11 vote.
SB 13, given tentative approval today in the Texas Senate, is another overreach into the private lives of working Texans, Texas AFL-CIO President John Patrick said.
"It's their money," Patrick said of state and local employees. "They earned it. They should be able to spend it how they see fit."
Working poor Texans need a substantial increase in the minimum wage to support their families and their communities, the Texas AFL-CIO said today.
In a news conference and in testimony before the House Business and Industry Committee, Texas AFL-CIO Legislative Director René Lara said the era in which the $7.25 wage floor was decent money has long passed.
