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Buckle Seat Belts for 2026

Gene Lantz, Dallas President
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“Expect the worst and hope for the best.” – Accountant’s credo

Both the challenges and the opportunities for North Texas labor will multiply in 2026. We are up for it. Our momentum from previous years will continue, we will develop stronger structures, and our multitudes of supporters will grow. We will use the good and bad information that is coming in at the end of the year:

The Worst

  • The world economic system continues to tremble and quake
  • The stock market shoots skyward without improving the jobs situation
  • Artificial intelligence gobbles up our jobs and worsens the crisis that is already underway
  • Income disparity, juiced up by Trump policies, is a worldwide illness
  • Communications, especially cell phone communications, threatens to end healthy competition and become even more of an oligopoly
  • In the electoral arena, candidates are straining to find a “middle” in an increasingly divided electorate
  • Millions are unable to afford decent health care
  • Trump continues all indications that he will stop at nothing to maintain and extend his power

The Best

  • In the electoral arena, candidates will be pressured to clarify their intentions during 2026. Labor will ask all Dallas candidates to reveal their positions on Gaza
  • Unions will be more aggressive in the electoral arena: Locally, we're already working to get Taylor Rehmet elected to Senate District 9 and Lou Luckhart for Mayor of Ennis in January 31 special elections. In the coming primaries, the Steelworkers have two members running for important statewide offices: Jose Loya for Land Commissioner and Marcos Velez for Lieutenant Governor
  • A growing but unguided mass movement against dictatorship has exploded
  • More and more people are figuring out the dangers and what to do about it
  • Unions are discarding old ways and taking advantage of our magnificent popularity in the general population
  • Youth and retirees, two sectors recently encouraged by the labor movement, are growing and adding muscle
  • The Starbucks workers, using a combination of strike and boycott simultaneously, are showing all workers how use labor’s popularity against the bosses. They are striking, boycotting, raising funds, and encouraging all kinds of popular support

The Indicators

Nearly all of this analysis comes from information gathered during the past week, and especially on Christmas Day when the Washington Post published ten charts describing the current U.S. economic situation.

Gold and silver prices set new records. The usual “gold bug” speculators are buying precious metals of course, but major investors and some governments are also buying them. Precious metals pay no dividends, but they are a haven of safety for those who think a worldwide financial crisis is imminent.

Two major financial indicators, a soaring stock market and an expected increase in manufacturing, are both rooted in investment in artificial intelligence. Investors are buying into it and energy-gobbling data center building is way up and projected to be gigantic. At the same time, the labor movement is “cool.” Although Trump’s anti-labor policies explain some of the labor market problems, the main problem now and in the future is job-killing artificial intelligence. The same thing lifting the stock market and manufacturing in America is driving down the jobs market! Unions are trying to fight back with limits on artificial intelligence in contracts.

Inflation came down slightly in November, but not for good reasons. Applications for unemployment insurance and the number of workers in their 2nd week of unemployment are also rising. Prices don't rise when people can't afford to buy.

Income disparity is the illness afflicting all workers worldwide. Among the many alarming reports comes this sentence from the current week by Politico: “Bank of America says its top account holders saw take-home pay climb 4 percent over the last year, while income growth for poorer households grew just 1.4 percent.” 

All of the major tech companies have hitched themselves to the Trump agenda, and for good reason. They produce artificial intelligence, and they all know that artificial intelligence is Trump’s main hope to lower production costs enough to outperform China and other worldwide economic competitors. “Lower production costs” is a euphemism for fewer jobs. 

Elon Musk, in many ways the master tech investor, has practically cornered the market in communications satellites. He has already bought the software and established the partnership with T-Mobile that he needs to change all cell phone communications to satellite. Everybody who currently works in cell phone tech may be in danger. The Communications Workers of America have a vital boycott against T-Mobile that is supported by the AFL-CIO.

Just two recent election results are sufficient to show the strain in the electoral arena. Mister Trump successfully used the power of the United States government to overcome the progressive government of Honduras. He failed to do the same in the New York Mayoral race. 

War in Latin America is likely. The Trump Administration has already discarded every aspect of international law and human decency in its attacks against Venezuela. The UE, formerly the electrical workers now calling themselves "Union for Everybody," published a strong anti-war statement. On Christmas Day, Trump's military intervened in another oil-rich country, Nigeria.

On December 22 alone, 19 Starbucks stores signed up for union elections. 

So… Why Are We Smiling?

Clearly, the Trump Administration and the billionaires it leads are flailing around in desperation. They aren’t acting out of strength nor confidence, but like boat wreck survivors trying anything and everything to cling to life. They have very little thought of what they are doing, and they are being led by an unstable person.

Democracy has taken hits, but is a long way from disappearing in a country convinced, for 250 years, that democracy is best. The worldwide governance system is weak against a super power, but it has the credibility of all caring people.

Our anti-war movement seems small and new, but the structures created in earlier upsurges still exist and are ours to use. Organizations close to the unions, especially the youth and senior movements, are growing stronger.

People are catching on. We have the communications ability for accelerated strategic progress. We are clearly headed toward a coordinated plan of mass resistance.

Keep Up the Forward Progress

Dallas and Tarrant county’s old Central Labor Councils will be discarded soon, but both counties will still have assemblies. Activists are organizing times, places, and equipment to hit the ground running in January.  Contact genelantz19@gmail.com or tevitakfuhatafe@gmail.com  to help make sure we don't lose momentum.  

Need More Information?

Join Our Solidarity Brigade

Click here to get updates whenever activists are needed. For text alerts, send the word "action" to the phone number 235246. Paste Bit.ly/DallasCLC?r=qr into your browser and join our Dallas political program. Everyone is encouraged to join the national Department of People Who Work for a Living. Please also subscribe to the Texas AFL-CIO weekly newsletter by writing to labor@texasaflcio.org. We are fighting for working families in every available arena.

MORE ACTIONS COMING UP

Dec 26 through holidays or until we win: Barristas strike and boycott against Starbucks. Sign up to help

Dec 27, Noon: (and every Saturday) Protest dictatorship at corner of Mockingbird & Abrams

Dec 28, Noon: (And every Sunday) Protest dictatorship at corner of Jefferson & Zang in Oak Cliff. Contact Sophie at sdtex2006@gmail.com

Dec 28, Noon: (And every Sunday) Protest dictatorship at corner Buckner & Garland

Jan 3, 1P: Labor and Community social at UAW 848, 2218 E Main in Grand Prairie. Contact 
derrickmoran1@gmail.com

Jan 3, 5:30P: Virtual phone bank for Taylor Rehmet for Texas Senate. 

Jan 9: WNBA contract expires after 2 extensions

Jan 10, 10A: Block walk for Taylor Rehmet for Texas Senate 

Jan 17, 10A: Block walk for Taylor Rehmet for Texas Senate 

Jan 21: Early voting begins for January 31 special elections