Plumbers in Texas scored a significant win today when a bill written to dissolve the board regulating licensing of workers in the trade was amended to postpone the effective date for two years.
Texas AFL-CIO President Rick Levy and Secretary-Treasurer Montserrat Garibay published the following open letter in support of locked-out United Steelworkers families in Deer Park.
Cruz tried to associate himself with "bonuses and pay raises" at "American Airlines, Southwest Airlines, AT&T" following passage of an atrocious tax bill. This rightly inflamed union members who noted the unionized status of all three of the companies cited by Cruz. Labor unions led the way in insisting that those companies share a piece of their bounty from the tax bill with working families.
The Texas AFL-CIO had the honor of meeting with four superb union delegates from Australia who are getting out the word about their nearly year-long strike against Esso (ExxonMobil).
Activists for paid sick leave in San Antonio, including representatives of organized labor, have filed more than twice the number of signatures needed to place the measure on the November ballot, the Texas Observer reports.
The Guardian obtained an anti-union toolkit already being used by the billionaire-backed anti-union apparatus ahead of the U.S. Supreme Court's looming decision in the Janus case, which could lead to so-called "right to work" for public-sector workers across the U.S.
The Trump Labor Department wants to let under-age teenagers work with dangerous equipment for hours at a time as part of their apprenticeship training, upsetting decades of established safety rules.
Lest there be any doubt about the real impetus for paycheck deception legislation, look no further than Oklahoma.
The Sooner State recently saw an unlikely but successful teacher strike stemming from that state's neglect of public schools.
Think Progress reports some lawmakers are trying to take revenge on the union behind the strike, looking to convert a bill that started as an effort to fight child abuse into a vehicle for taking away the freedom of public school employees to choose to steer a portion of their own paycheck to labor association dues.
In the inside baseball of the labor movement's legislative advocacy in Texas, Eric Hartman of the Texas American Federation of Teachers has been an ace pitcher and All-Star.
Texas AFT reports Hartman, the union's legislative director for more than two decades, has retired.
Texas AFL-CIO Lead Organizer Kara Sheehan reports the second Ruth Ellinger Labor Leaders School concluded successfully over the weekend with an absorbing final session and graduation.
Sheehan and Texas AFL-CIO Director of Campaigns Jeff Rotkoff have led the way in building something beautiful, opening new avenues toward leadership for activists in our movement. The connections built in this program are going to make a difference for years to come.
