It couldn’t be more needed. North Texas labor is gearing up for an all-out political campaign from now to November, The big event will be our Labor Day Breakfast on September 5. Everyone should contact Lewis Fulbright at dallasaflcio@gmail.com or Jason Tomlinson at jtomlinson.dallasaflcio@gmail.com to get tickets, sponsorships, or ad space in the brochure. But don't wait to start political activity!
"The Texas AFL-CIO would like to extend the invitation to you and your memberships to our upcoming North Texas Political Kick-off Trainings on Saturdays, July 30 - August 20, 2022, from 9:30 am - 1 pm.
'With so much at stake this election year, we need all hands on deck. However, in order to build the labor leaders of tomorrow, we have to start from the ground up.
'This training will go over the mechanics of using tools like LAN and MiniVan for reaching voters, how to have effective conversations with union members to move them to take action and how your work in this upcoming electoral season connects to the larger Labor Movement.
'Come Join a North Texas Political Kick-off training near you!
'Time: 9:00 AM - 1:00 PM
'Share this training with a fellow union member or friend of Labor who would like to build political power for all Texas Workers." --Marilyn Davis
Activist training for Dallas is set for August 6. Please get involved by contacting Marilyn Davis at marilyn@texasaflcio.org or Jason Tomlinson at jtomlinson.dallasaflcio@gmail.com.
Recent articles show the urgency of our activism:
- GOP Will Stop at Nothing if it Wins Midterms!
- UN leader says world is just “one miscalculation” away from nuclear annihilation
- Conservative Political Action Committee hosts reactionaries in Dallas
Two very important political developments from this week are worth our scrutiny: 1) Trump-endorsed candidates are winning Republican primaries; and 2) Democrats in Kansas were able to get a 60% increase in turnout to defeat a measure pushed hard by Republicans. One set of facts shows how critical the elections are; the other shows that progressives can win with unprecedented vote margins.
Labor Needs the Inflation Reduction Act
Even though two Democratic Senators have altered the bill in favor of oil companies and the very wealthy, the AFL-CIO is all-out to pass the Inflation Reduction Act. The vote may be as early as today, August 5. We are asked to show support on-line.
The bill is absolutely union friendly. It also shows that government could and should conquer inflation with fiscal policy instead of monetary policy. Fiscal policy fights inflation by raising taxes on the very wealthy while monetary policy squeezes everybody’s credit by raising interest rates.
July’s excellent jobs growth report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics was good news for us but not for wealthy employers. The Washington Post reported, “A slowdown in job growth would have indicated that the Fed’s interest rate hikes are achieving their intended goal of cooling down the labor market. As the Fed continues to raise rates, and borrowing becomes more expensive for households and companies, workers will probably have less leverage in the job market than they did earlier this year. Also, higher interest rates could lead to a wave of layoffs....”
MORE ACTIONS COMING UP
Aug 6, 9:30A: AFL-CIO “Volunteer Kickoff” event at 1408 N Washington. Contact jtomlinson.dallasaflcio@gmail.com
Aug 8: Deadline in the $25K Union Plus essay contest
Aug 10, 6P: Congressman Veasey’s Fort Worth Town Hall at Tarrant County College – South Campus SSTU Building (Cafeteria) 5301 Campus Dr, Fort Worth, TX 76119
Aug 11, 6P: "African American Retiree Voters" webinar on-line. Register here
Aug 14: Anniversary of Social Security, 1935
Aug 15: Day of Action in support of the Larson Bill to expand Social Security
Aug 18, 6P: Congressman Veasey’s Dallas Town Hall at West Dallas Multipurpose Center, 2828 Fish Trap Road, Dallas, TX 75212
Sep 5, 7:30AM: Doors open for Dallas Labor Day Breakfast at Pioneer Flight Museum, Love Field. Contact jtomlinson.dallasaflcio@gmail.com
Sep 9-10: Women's Summit
Sep 12: U.S. House comes back to work
Sep 16: Democratic Party Fish Fry
Sep 20: National Voter Registration Day
Oct 28: Deadline to receive vote-by-mail applications for general election
Nov 8: General election